Cowichan Valley Regional District Agriculture Policy Review

(2023)

Upland Agricultural Consulting provided professional agrologist services to review draft agricultural policies and regulations for the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) within the context of the planning process associated with the Official Community Plan for the Electoral Areas (OCP) and Modernized Zoning Bylaw (MZB). The analysis required applying a lens of consistency with updated Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) regulations and other pertinent agricultural policies, guidelines and best practices.

The assessment addressed various community planning components including the OCP and MZB, local area plans, cannabis bylaws and relevant development permit area (DPA) guidelines. The zoning bylaws for each electoral area were cross-referenced with a GIS database to explore the number, size and location of Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) parcels across the region. The number of Agricultural zones was also considered.