Policy directions:

1. Protect farmland by regulating how the land can be used and assessing and preventing nearby development and other activities from impacting the quality of the land.

2. Ensure farming is the main use of agricultural lands by limiting residential development and changing bylaws to match the Agricultural Land Commission rules.

a) If the Riverway Golf Course is redeveloped in future, limit the uses to agriculture, parks and conservation.

Why we are proposing these policies:

• Development can impact soil quality and drainage, making the land more difficult to farm.
• Burnaby doesn’t have a lot of agricultural land, but it’s important to protect this valuable local resource.
• Strengthening Burnaby’s bylaws to support farming and related uses will help limit the encroachment of other types of development into farming areas.

Policy directions:

3. Engage and communicate with farmers in Big Bend and consider developing an Agricultural Plan and an Agricultural Advisory Committee.

4. Support more economic opportunities for farmers, such as agri-tourism, farm sales and creating opportunities for food production outside of Big Bend.

5. Support and strengthen Indigenous food sovereignty and food security and provide access to land-based, freshwater, and marine food sources.

Why we are proposing these policies:

• Farmers want more communication with the City and could help create a plan to support agriculture in Burnaby.
• Allowing farmers to use their farm to generate money in different ways would help them be more successful.
• Economic opportunities related to food could create partnerships with the host Nations.
• Supporting the host Nations’ rights and access to food systems is an important part of reconciliation.
• We need to work together to expand traditional food and medicine in gardens in the city.

Policy directions:

6. Support the protection of ecosystem services and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies on agricultural lands in the Big Bend, as the basis for future management strategies, and in collaboration with all orders of government.

7. Reduce food waste by composting organic waste and recovering edible food that would otherwise be thrown out.

Why we are proposing these policies:

• We need to understand how climate change will impact food production so we can help protect farmland for the future.
• The regional and provincial governments are also interested in supporting farmers and protecting ecosystems in the area and could support new or existing programs for farmers in Burnaby.
• Reducing waste and recovering food would help reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from transporting and producing food.
• Food that is edible but would be thrown out can be shared with community members who need food instead.

Policy directions:

8. Continue advancing the work of the Burnaby Food System Strategy to increase access to affordable, healthy food and support locally grown, sustainable food production.

Why we are proposing these policies:

• The Burnaby Food System Strategy will be done in 2024 and will help improve the quality, fairness and sustainability of Burnaby’s food systems.
• This strategy will help protect historic farms and increase opportunities for cultural diversity in Burnaby’s farms, collaborate with other government and community partners, and create policies to support local food production and equitable access to healthy food.

This survey is administered by the City of Burnaby. Personal information collected and used for the purpose of receiving information regarding the Official Community Plan will be managed in accordance with s. 26 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected through this survey will remain confidential and de-identified when shared with the public. For questions regarding the collection of Personal Information and receipt of electronic messages please contact: Corporate Communications and Marketing at communications@burnaby.ca.

Ecosystem services: the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. Ecosystem services provided by farmland include nutrient and organic matter recycling (from food waste), food for pollinators, wildlife habitat, flood control, and carbon sequestration.