Re: Vantreight Farms.
It is with some sadness that I recently read that Vantreight Farms is for sale again.
Having been their grower for five years, I disagreed with Ian over many things, but the one thing I absolutely agreed with him about was his Hill Project.
The concept of building on 30 acres of unfarmable land that was non-Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), in order to continue farming the remaining farmable land made perfect sense to almost everyone apart from a few politicians and a small, very vocal, ill informed minority, most of whom don’t even live in Central Saanich.
Now, thanks to the delaying tactics of the politicians and the expensive and ultimately unsuccessful legal challenge from the Ratepayers Association, the farm is for sale again.
I hope all of those politicians and others who claim to support agriculture and local food security will realize the results of there actions or inactions.
When the land is all put into hay, food production ceases, and the daffodils no longer sway in the wind (I hope I am wrong about all of this) perhaps those who were unable to understand the logic of sacrificing some rock to preserve the real dirt will realize the error of there ways.
The houses will be built in the future, whether everyone agrees or not, but the farming you thought you were protecting may not continue.
I am pleased to see the great improvements we are now seeing under the Mayor Alastair Bryson in Central Saanich. It seems we are open for business again. I hope in the forthcoming by-election we elect candidates who will continue this “can do” attitude, and not return us to the “hopeless nation” we had become.
To that end I should be interested to know from the candidates what if any allegiances they have to any particular group or association.
In order for voters to make a discerned choice, they need to understand what they could be voting for.
Chris Gosling
Brentwood Bay