Geneva | Reuters — Australia has complained at the World Trade Organization about Canada’s rules on wine sales, expanding a similar U.S. complaint against one province. In October, Washington accused British Columbia of providing an unfair advantage to local vineyards by giving their wine an exclusive retail channel in grocery store shelves and cutting out […] Read more
Tag Archives british columbia — page 11
Australia takes Canada to WTO over wine rules
B.C. Greens seek limits on foreign ownership of farmland
The party holding the balance of power in British Columbia’s legislature wants to curb foreign ownership of farmland in the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Green Party leader Andrew Weaver on Thursday introduced the Property Law Amendment Act as a private member’s bill, which he said “would prohibit foreign entities from purchasing ALR land over […] Read more
AgriRecovery in place for farms in B.C. wildfire zones
Farmers and ranchers whose operations were hit or evacuated during British Columbia’s particularly destructive wildfire season can expect up to $20 million in AgriRecovery funds toward repair, rebuilding and livestock feeding costs. The federal and B.C. governments on Tuesday laid out more details for the 60-40 cost-shared program, which was announced in principle in mid-August. […] Read more
Options weighed for AgriRecovery in B.C. fire zones
Officials in British Columbia are now gauging what sorts of damages and expenses can be covered through an AgriRecovery plan for ranchers and farmers affected by wildfires. The federal and B.C. governments announced Wednesday they’re “working together to quickly assess the extraordinary costs farmers are incurring and what additional assistance may be required to recover […] Read more
Drought-related livestock tax deferral zones widen again
More ranchers in five provinces may now be able to defer some of their taxable income from their livestock sales in 2016 due to drought. The federal government on Aug. 4 announced its final list of drought-designated regions where the livestock tax deferral provision will be allowed for the 2016 tax year, and has included […] Read more
B.C. NDP’s ag critic named ag minister
The agriculture critic for British Columbia’s opposition New Democrats will be the minister of agriculture as the party takes the governing reins. Lana Popham, the MLA for the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich South, was named Tuesday as ag minister in Premier John Horgan’s cabinet. Horgan took over as premier after Christy Clark’s Liberals, who […] Read more
B.C. ag minister, ag critic hang on in election
British Columbia’s incumbent agriculture minister and opposition agriculture critic have both held onto their seats in the legislature so far through the province’s harrowing election Tuesday. Complete results aren’t expected to be available until after the final count starting May 22, but preliminary results put the province’s governing Liberals in minority status with 43 of […] Read more
B.C. rural plan includes livestock tag reader rebate
A new provincial rural economic development strategy for British Columbia includes extra money for livestock and invasive plant programs, among them a new rebate plan for livestock tag readers. The province on Friday released “Building on our Rural Advantages: B.C.’s Rural Economic Development Strategy,” a document laying out investments expected to support up to 26,600 […] Read more
Extra funds, orders help B.C. ALC clear backlog
British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Commission credits new funding, and a new regime of performance measures, with helping it to clear its backlog of applications. The ALC, the tribunal overseeing provincial measures to conserve farmland and enable farming-related land use, recently announced it has “eliminated” a backlog of 185 applications — and has processed over 90 […] Read more
B.C. to defend wine industry against U.S. trade action
Vancouver | Reuters — The British Columbia government said Wednesday it would defend its wine industry against a trade challenge from the U.S., and was confident it was not breaking any international trade rules. Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. said it started action against Canada at the World Trade Organization, accusing B.C. of discriminating against U.S. […] Read more
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