Today, BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) and Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF) announced the completion of a B.C. agriculture economic impact study that illustrates how agriculture is a significant economic contributor and an important piece of B.C.’s identity. Not only is the sector a core component of the province’s economy, it can play a major role in helping the province weather and recover from the pandemic-induced economic downturn, particularly in rural communities.

Farmers on Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands will have more support to adapt to climate change following the development of the Vancouver Island Adaptation Strategies plan. The plan identifies 11 strategies for increasing the resilience of producers in the region. The governments of Canada and B.C. will provide $300,000 in funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to support projects that achieve those strategies.

Today Mary Robinson, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), hosted a virtual press conference to address the extraordinary challenges being faced by Canadian farmers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Robinson warned that without immediate assistance from the federal government, the Canadian agriculture sector cannot ensure our domestic food supply will remain secure for the immediate and long-term benefit of all Canadians.

This week the BC NDP government released its third budget after delivering a throne speech last Tuesday. The B.C. Ministry of Agriculture received a $2.8-million reduction in funding for 2020. The reduction is primarily targeting travel and office expenses, a freeze on hiring and anticipated program slippage. Out of all the provinces, British Columbia continues to have the lowest government expenditures in agriculture as a percentage of agriculture GDP.

In our collective effort to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases, who knew that plants and crops were the problem? Officials at the Metro Vancouver Regional District think so as a Metro committee called “Climate Action” is proposing to regulate naturally occurring emissions from plants. Starting with cannabis, Metro Vancouver is proposing to regulate the natural scents and compounds that come from plants and trees.