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| Last updated at 8:27 AM on 29/01/08 |
Thawing out land freeze debate 
Commission holding meetings to determine what to do with farmland
GREG KNOTT
The Telegram
The provincial government is trying to figure out what land should remain or be removed from an agricultural land freeze in the capital city.
On Monday night, a government commission held the first in a series of six public meetings designed to get input into its current review of the boundaries of the St. John's Urban Region Agriculture Development Area.
The boundaries of the land -which is only available for agricultural use - haven't been looked at since 1993 and the goal of the commission is to ensure the area only includes lands of agricultural importance.
Commissioner Felix Collins said the committee will make its recommendations to the government later this spring.
The meeting on Monday, which was held at St. Kevin's Parish Hall in Goulds, heard from a number of people that voiced their concerns and ideas.
St. John's City Coun. Keith Coombs, who spoke on behalf of the city, said its position is that land should only be removed from the boundaries if it is located in a watershed area.
A number of other presenters said no land should be removed.
They focused on the idea that agricultural land in the province is at a premium and should be protected at all costs.
"It is essential we preserve our existing agricultural lands," said John Jacobs, a representative from the Natural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The final presentation of the night was by Derek McDonald, a private landowner with real estate in the agricultural zone.
McDonald said when the boundaries were created there were no consultations with private landowners.
Now, many people are left with land they can only lease to farmers or sell to the government.
According to McDonald, most agricultural land in Goulds and Kilbride is owned by people who don't farm, and most of the major farms are leasing land from them.
The Goulds resident said for the most part, the private landowners would be happy to sell their land, but the government doesn't give them what they believe the land is worth.
"We have the land which is the fuel for the farm, and they don't want to pay nothing for it," said McDonald.
He said if private landowners were to pull back the land, the farms wouldn't be able to operate.
If government is serious about the farming industry, it has to "step up to the plate" and offer private landowners fair compensation, McDonald said.
Collins said the government has a buyback program for land, but it doesn't compete with the prices offered by developers.
"It would be our hope in our recommendation to enhance that program because certainly there has to be options to deal with landowners who feel unjustly done by," said Collins.
The next meeting will be held tonight in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's at 7 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Parish Hall.
gknott@thetelegram.com
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29/01/08
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