Burnaby is exploring ways to support agriculture in Burnaby 2050, our Official Community Plan (OCP) update which will guide land use and development throughout the city for the next 25 years. As a part of this process, we reached out to farmers to build a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of farming in Big Bend, the city’s main agricultural area. In February 2024, we hosted roundtable events to get a better understanding of the state of farming in the Big Bend. The feedback we received from those events helped shape the policies and maps in the draft OCP. We are now seeking feedback on the draft OCP, to make sure it reflects the community’s goals.

The What We Heard Report summarizing our consultation with the Big Bend farming community in 2024 is now available. We would like to thank everyone who attended our roundtable events and took time to share their thoughts and experiences with us during the process.

More opportunities to provide feedback on the future of agriculture in Burnaby is available through our OCP update process. Consultation on the draft OCP is open from April 9 to May 11, 2025. We welcome you to attend our in-person open houses and provide your feedback through our online survey: Burnaby.ca/Burnaby2050Survey.

Read the draft Official Community Plan Agricultural Policies

Work has also begun on updating the zoning regulations for agricultural districts to reflect the new OCP policies, as part of the Zoning Bylaw Rewrite project. The target date for adoption of the new Zoning Bylaw is late 2025.

• Improve communication and engagement with the farming community
• Protect Big Bend’s unique status as a multicultural agricultural centre
• Create policies and regulations that support Burnaby’s farms and agriculture industry