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Large-scale composter not a fit for farmland

The incremental growth of Enviro-Smart and Green for Life’s business has turned agricultural land into industrial development, contends Independents Working for You council candidate Sandeep Pandher.
Sandeep Pandher
The incremental growth of Enviro-Smart and Green for Life’s business has turned agricultural land into industrial development, contends Independents Working for You council candidate Sandeep Pandher.

The incremental growth of Enviro-Smart and Green for Life’s business has turned agricultural land into industrial development, contends Independents Working for You council candidate Sandeep Pandher.

“The history of how a small farm in East Ladner composted its farm waste (as most farms do) for use on its own property became this behemoth is a murky one, with many plot twists that require an independent investigation and far too often distracts us from a core issue: Should a 250,000-tonne processing commercial composting facility be operating on land designed to be a farm?” said Pandher in a news release.

“The ALR was created to protect against the erosion of our agricultural industry and history. Before it was implemented we were losing 6,000 hectares each year to urban and industrial development.”

Pandher cites other concerning factors for his stance on this issue.

He points to a Facebook post on Sept. 8 by George Harvie that stated, “There is $25,000,000 from Green for Life on the table right now to do this with the best technology available to remove odours. But with Metro Vancouver continuing to protract the permit application, I have serious concerns that this funding could disappear. It's time to move forward on this with real, meaningful action. Enough is enough.”
Pandher believes Delta should do more to protect farmland.

“It is concerning that a $25 million one-time investment is being advocated for by Mr. Harvie and the Achieve for Delta Slate. Delta needs a proper stakeholder engagement process and discussions with the community members about the use of our farmland and how we can protect it.

“When we look at the question: should a commercial composting facility be permitted to operate on Delta ALR land, the answer is a resounding no. Our farmlands, our environment, our habitats matter. We need to protect them.”