The City of Pitt Meadows is updating and modernizing the Agricultural Plan created in 2000. The updated Plan will seek to provide direction in developing a sustainable, viable, and resilient local agriculture and agri-food sector. The Plan will also address the many changes that have influenced agriculture in Pitt Meadows over the last 20+ years and focus on solutions that are within the jurisdiction of local government.
Engagement Opportunities:
- The general public as well as those operating within the agriculture sector were invited to complete one of the surveys between May 29 - June 29, 2023 at haveyoursaypittmeadows.ca/agriculture.
- The City hosted the following in-person engagement sessions:
- June 3, 2023 - Booth at Pitt Meadows Day
- June 13, 2023 - Booth at the Pitt Meadows Farmers Market
- June 15, 2023 from 1pm to 3pm - Hopcott Farms
- June 22, 2023 - Open House at the Pitt Meadows Family Recreation Centre
- Staff and the project consultant presented the Update Report, Background Report, and Engagement Summary Report at the July 18 Council Meeting, watch the Council Meeting video.
Next Steps
The Agricultural Plan is now being drafted, and opportunities for further engagement on the draft plan are expected in Fall 2023. The final plan is expected to be completed by Winter 2023.
Background
The City of Pitt Meadows contains over 6,900ha of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), which equates to approximately 78% of the City’s total land area. How we manage and protect this land is important, not only to the viability of the producers, but also to address local food security and climate change impacts on a broader scale.
The City of Pitt Meadows is undertaking an update of the Agricultural Plan to serve as a long-term strategic plan to meet the needs of the producers, growers, and the community, to provide the direction on how to have a sustainable, viable, and resilient agriculture sector.
The original “District of Pitt Meadows Agricultural Plan” was created in January 2000 and while it contains some very good information and a list of recommendations created at that time, it has not been updated to include changes in legislation, regulations, and policy direction from the federal, provincial, and municipal perspectives. The Agricultural Plan from 2000 needs to be reviewed and updated with the support of a consultant to lead the project and undertake comprehensive engagement to gather input from the agricultural stakeholders and Pitt Meadows residents.
The updated Agricultural Plan will need to align with the newly adopted OCP policies around agriculture, environment, employment, transportation, local systems, climate and energy, and hazard and emergency management. It will also need to incorporate strategic direction from federal, provincial, and regional authorities, as well as incorporate the key priorities from the producers, growers, and the community.