If we’re serious about agriculture and food security, we need to get this land into the ALR as soon as possible: Councillor Mike Bose

Surrey, B.C. (February 13, 2023): Surrey First Councillor Mike Bose, a fourth-generation Surrey farmer, is encouraging his council colleagues to vote tonight to move more than 200 acres of federal land at 192nd Street and 36th Avenue into the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

“At tonight’s council meeting, we have the option to support the move to the ALR, oppose the move, or move a decision to a later date,” said Bose. “This is a no brainer, and this land, which is some of the best agricultural land in the country, needs to be in the ALR sooner rather than later. The agricultural productivity of this parcel is staggering, and if we learned anything from the pandemic, food security is an absolute necessity.”

Currently, the federal land is leased to Heppell Farm which has farmed the property for some 50 years.

Prior to the last municipal election, city council voted to support keeping the land as agricultural.

“It was clear to our previous council that this land deserves to be in the ALR,” said Councillor Linda Annis. “Mike is absolutely right when he says that our city’s agricultural land and food security capacity need our ongoing support.”

“Our agricultural land is precious, and with important public infrastructure projects eating away at valuable farmland, it’s critical that we save what we have, and add to it when we can,” added Bose. “The federal government is considering the disposition of this property, and our job at city hall should be to make sure Surrey’s agricultural potential is bolstered, not diminished. I’m hoping we will have unanimous support from council tonight because our residents and farmers deserve nothing less.”