Addiction recovery centre for women faces eviction over B.C. farm rules

An addiction recovery home for women has received an eviction notice after the pastoral property in the Fraser Valley was deemed not to have met regulations governing the use of British Columbia's agricultural land.

Angie Appenheimer, a regional director at the Abbotsford Women's Centre, said Tuesday she's started looking for a new facility to house up to nine women who live on the property for up to a year.

She said the centre appealed the eviction notice last summer, suggesting it could expand its vegetable gardens to become more like a farm on the 1.2-hectare property, but the appeal was denied.

The women must move by June 4, 2021.

"We have to look for another location because that's what we have to do," Appenheimer said. "We have to continue to be looking for a place for these women to continue their program."

She said the centre has been operating since 2003, offering faith-based services to the women battling addiction. It has an 80 per cent success rate, said Appenheimer.

A site inspection last year by officials from B.C.'s independent Agricultural Land Commission started an examination process that resulted in the two-year eviction notice, she said. Appenheimer described the property as rolling, rocky and treed, with what appears to be little potential for agriculture.

The Agricultural Land Commission is an independent tribunal responsible for administering the laws that aim to preserve agricultural land and encourage farming. Officials at the commission were not immediately available for comment.

Farmers protest

The eviction of the women's centre has become the latest salvo from the Opposition Liberals in a campaign on behalf of frustrated farmers to repeal NDP government legislation that they say places farmland ahead of the those who work on the land.

About 100 B.C. farmers along with their supporters were at the B.C. Legislature Monday calling on the New Democrat government to repeal legislation, which they say is splitting families because the land commission consistently denies applications from farmers who want to build homes for their children on the same property.

The New Democrats passed the legislation partly in response to prevent farm property owners from building large mansions on farmland or using the property to dump gravel.

Appenheimer said she was disappointed but not surprised the land commission denied their appeal.

"We were realizing they have a mandate but hoping they would see beyond the mandate to maybe being able to give back a little piece of [agricultural] land for the purpose of reclaiming peoples' lives."

Appenheimer said perhaps in future the commission will consider cases like the women's centre to relax its farm-use mandate.

Opposition Liberal agriculture critic Ian Paton said the eviction notice is one of an increasing number of land-use rejections farmers and others are facing, including denials for Halloween festivals, hay rides and roadside vegetable sales.

"Somebody has to take a look at a lot of these decisions made by the land commission," he said.

Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said she does not interfere in the decisions of the land commission. She added that the government is creating 1,500 additional women's shelter spaces.

"We're trying to make sure the Agricultural Land Reserve is strong and it's there for future food security," Popham said. "We also know there needs to be some flexibility."