Agriculture & Environment

Agriculture has deep roots in North Saanich beginning with the WSANEC First Nations cultivating, harvesting and preserving foods for thousands of years on the land. With European colonization, early pioneers began to grow food and forage for crops in the 1860s. Agricultural activities subsequently evolved to include grain, hops, dairy, sheep, poultry and hog farming and these were accompanied by associated processing and distribution infrastructures.

Following the construction of the Royal Canadian Air Force Base in 1939, agricultural industries entered a period of decline beginning with dairy farms and after World War II, other farming activities due to the changing economics of farming and globalization of the agricultural sectors.

The Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) was introduced in 1973, today nearly 35% of the District is within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). As of March 2019 there were 125 parcels classified as farm by BC Assessment. Retaining the viability of these lands is important in terms of providing local food security and economic diversity, but also in terms of preserving valuable rural landscapes for the community. The Strategic Plan projects & Initiatives and Official Community Plan objectives and policies support the rural and agricultural resources.

On our Agricultural Resources page a variety of agricultural resources has been compiled for your information.

Council has supported many initiatives and projects that help improve our food security:

For further information on Agriculture in North Saanich, please contact the Planning and Community Services Department.

Agricultural Resources

The following resources are provided for your information. If you would like to suggest an update or additional resource, please contact the Planning and Community Services Department.

Documents

Local Events, Food and Programs

  • Farmer 2 Farmer is an annual event for farmers and growers of the capital region. This gathering is an opportunity for networking, community building, and capacity building.
  • Island Good a campaign to help shoppers identify locally sources food products. Look for the Island Good logo on products and in stores across Vancouver Island.
  • North Saanich Farm Market operating every Saturday from June through to Thanksgiving weekend.
  • North Saanich Flavour Trails Festival is a celebratory rural ramble and feast of the senses which takes place annually in August.

Land Base

  • Agricultural Land Commission is an independent administrative tribunal dedicated to preserving agricultural land and encouraging farming in British Columbia.
  • BC Agriculture Council advocates for the interest of BC farm and ranch families. By working collaboratively with our members, partner industry associations and private sector agri-food businesses, they ensure that sustainable growth and competitiveness of BC agriculture.
  • Environmental Farm Plan Program supports farm operations to complete agri-environmental risk assessments.
  • FarmLINK is a national land listing platform and linking tool designed to connect those looking for land to rent, lease or buy on farm employment, business partnerships in agriculture, or farm succession arrangements with landowners and retiring farmers who have farmland or other on farm opportunities.
  • Young Agrarians is a collaborative network strategy with a lens on new entrants into ecological agriculture focused in Canada. This network supports farmers hosting events to data collection for the farmer resource UMAP, to land access programming and farm apprenticeships and business mentorships.

Marketing

  • Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agricultural products and food.

Labour

  • Canadian Agricultural Labour Pool is a recruitment and job seeking assistance service for both employers and those seeking employment. They assist Canadian agricultural employers with their human resource needs and help people secure a career in agriculture.
  • Foodwork.ca is Canada's largest community of sustainable food professionals, job seekers and volunteers.
  • Government of Canada provides information on hiring temporary foreign agricultural workers.
  • Young Agrarians provides a list of wage subsidy programs available.

Processing Agencies

Environmental and Climate Change Challenges

  • BC's Climate Change Adaption Program (2008-2023) has developed tools and resources that increase the capacity of agriculture to adapt to climate change. The program was guided by industry with the goal of helping producers successfully adapt to the impacts of a changing climate.
  • Climate Action for Agriculture provides resources for agricultural producers to adapt to climate change and reduce GHG emissions.