Municipalities are pushing back against the 鈥済reen rush鈥� of marijuana-growing operations on farmland, and senior governments should pay attention to their concerns.
In 2015, sa国际传媒鈥檚 former Liberal government said it would allow federally licensed medical cannabis operations on land within the Agricultural Land Reserve. In practice, that means some arable land in Central Saanich, for instance, is going to be buried under massive marijuana greenhouses.
When sa国际传媒 has so little good soil that can produce food, it doesn鈥檛 make sense to cover that precious earth with buildings to produce non-food crops.
The Capital Regional District鈥檚 planning and protective services committee is recommending the board chairperson ask the province for a moratorium on marijuana operations while a broader review of the ALR continues.
Central Saanich council has already called for a moratorium, as has Delta.
They rightly fear that without a moratorium, the buildings will go up before the province finishes its review, and irreplaceable land will be lost. Even if the review then decides against pot on ALR land, it will be too late for at least some sites.
Marijuana greenhouses can go on just about any land because they don鈥檛 need the rich soil that farmers do. Instead of dropping them on ALR land, the province has to work with municipalities to find better locations.
