Editor:
With regards to all the ink dedicated to the Southlands, it saddens me the basic point is missed, not just by some of your readers, but also by your paper.
The argument is not how the development should look or whether Delta needs more housing to support its tax base or whether Century Group is adding value to the process. The argument is truly and simply about whether Canada as a whole, and B.C. and Delta in particular, need to review our agricultural needs.
Should this agricultural land be rezoned for residential purposes? We are in control and responsible for these decisions. So let's make a responsible decision. Let's not get sidetracked by the spin about who is right or wrong or who is threatening whom with what.
This "delta" is amongst the limited land that is capable of supplying our province and country with our needed food supply without having to rely on imports to do so. No matter what the proponents of this development may say, this land was successfully farmed for many years and is of a high quality.
Not only that, but it is blessed with our West Coast climate. It was inappropriately taken out of the ALR but is still registered as agricultural land. There is no doubt it can continue to serve as agricultural land with the care and maintenance that is required for agricultural land.
The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that B.C. produces as much as 48 per cent of its food intake. To "maintain this current level of self-reliance... farmland with access to irrigation will need to increase by 49 per cent." This land falls under this category and should stay in this category, not be removed for residential purposes.
At the current rate of development of not just residential areas, but roadways, harbours and more, we are decreasing our farmland rapidly, not increasing it as we should.
This argument is about doing the right thing with the big picture in mind. It is about looking after our food needs not just for now but for the future.
If we don't do this now, we will be reliant on imports for food in the future. How does that differ from our present reliance on imports of things such as fossil fuels?
Let's get it right. This argument is not about wanting to limit this community. It is really about making this community a success and making that success a statement for all agricultural communities.
Hard as it may be to believe, we have a limited amount of good agricultural land, especially with our climate. If our community needs a "renovation" or a "vision," then let that be an informed vision that is based on more than personal beliefs about the "viability of farming."
Look at your three squares a day and let that decision be based on the necessity of farming.
Peter van der Velden
