The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is considering taking enforcement action against a non-farm-related business it says is operating illegally on Agricultural Land Reserve land.
“These little businesses can become detrimental,” said Area C rural Oliver director Rick Knodel.
Knodel said agricultural land is meant to be protected.
“It’s a slow erosion of farmland that causes the concern, both for the ALC (Agricultural Land Commission) and for us, in general, we’ve seen farmland slowly eroding away and we don’t want to see that happening,” he said.
According to the RDOS, the Oliver Rental Centre relocated to the three-acre property on Sawmill Road near Oliver in April 2018.
It said the property owner continues to operate a vehicle and trailer rental business in contravention of a zoning bylaw.
The regional district has voted — twice– against supporting the property owner’s non-farm use application to the ALC.
On Thursday, the board will consider seeking a court order to shut down the business.
“Reasonable efforts have been made to achieve voluntary compliance,” said a staff report to the RDOS board.
“The property owner continues to use the land in contravention of the bylaw,” it said, and staff recommend “that injunctive action be initiated.”
Raghvir Dhaliwal, owner of the Oliver Rental Centre, said he’s not operating a vehicle and trailer rental business, but rather a tool and equipment rental business.
‘We stopped doing U-Haul since early fall 2019 and we sent a letter to the RDOS stating that,” he told Global News.
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