Sweeping changes to the Agricultural Land Commission

KELOWNA – He’s been an advocate for farmers for more than fifty years and lead BC’s Agricultural Land Commission for nearly 5. That is, until yesterday.

“About a thirty second phone call and that’s how the news came,” says Richard Bullock. Swift, with no warning, five months before his term was over, he was told he no longer had a job.

“I was kind of expecting something to happen. You can only go up against your bosses so many times and things come full circle.”

Bullock is known to fight for what he believes is right and the outspoken former chair didn’t fear straying from the Liberal party line.

“I think that’s probably the reason I’m not there,” says Bullock.

Among his disagreements with the province, Bullock was against the government’s decision to split the Agricultural Land Reserve into two regions, allowing farmers in some areas more leeway on how they use their land.

Agriculture minister, Norm Letnick, admits the province and Bullock didn’t always see eye to eye.

“Did Mr. Bullock have different perspectives on some of the ideas? For sure, he’s told us what those different perspectives are,” says Letnick.

But Letnick won’t say that’s the reason Bullock’s been dismissed.

“We are in a transitional period with the land commission we have new regulations coming down,” says Letnick, “I thought it was in the best interest of the land commission and all of agriculture to make a change at this point.”

The government says new changes are coming down the pipe for the ALC, and while it’s hasn’t outlined what all those changes are, Bullock believes it’s bad news for the preservation of agricultural land.

“Have a look around see what you’re seeing,” cautions Bullock, “because you may not see what you’re seeing in terms of agriculture.”

The former chair says he would have liked to serve out the rest of his term and even stay in the role another year, but he’s thankful for the time he did spend leading the ALC.