Public hearing sees groundswell of support for Surrey farm

It appears there’s a lot of support for the operators of a farm near the Surrey-Langley border that’s at risk of being turned into industrial land.

Some 300 people gathered Monday night to demand the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) protect the property along 192nd Street, and include it in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

Read More: Crops or warehouses? Public hearing to decide fate of Surrey farmland

The 300-acre swathe of land is owned by the federal government, which leases it to Heppell’s Potatoes. According to the ALC, “The Government of Canada is considering disposition of the properties, which may leave the lands vulnerable to future changes in land use.”

However, if the land is parcelled and sold off, there are fears it could be turned into industrial land like the nearby Campbell Heights area.

Production Manager with Heppell’s Potatoes, Tyler Heppell, says Monday’s public hearing was a success.

“It was electric,” he told CityNews. “It was a really fantastic night and there is a ton of support for keeping this productive piece of farmland feeding Canadians.”

Heppell has been working for the better part of the last year to protect the farmland he says has been in his family for over 100 years. He says the land produces about 70 per cent of the potatoes eaten by British Columbians during the summer months. It has also produced the first carrots, potatoes, and cabbage of the season in Canada for the last 40 years, he says.

“We really have no idea when it is going to be pulled away,” Heppell said on the property’s lease with the federal government.

“That’s why we’ve really been applying the pressure in the past year to get the word out there.”

He says his family used to have five-year leases with the government but has since gone down to yearly.

As part of his effort to have the land kept for farming purposes, Heppell created a TikTok account last year aimed at educating people on the situation.

Since then, his page has gained over 390,000 followers and amassed over 100 million views on his videos.

Also in support of keeping the land designated for farming is the Surrey Board of Trade.

“While we are supportive of the need to intensify and create industrial lands (employment lands), we recognize and appreciate that at the same time we need to harness and sustain local food production, said President and CEO, Anita Huberman.

“Given the unique nature of this piece of land, using it for anything other than agricultural purposes will be an economic and food security disaster for British Columbia.”

Of the dozens of written and oral submissions at the public hearing, all but two were in support of keeping the land for agricultural use.

Now that the hearing has wrapped up, Heppell expects a decision from the ALC in the next month or so. From there, he says he will work to have the land indefinitely designated for farm use.

“We’re very sentimental for this land because we know what it can do for this province,” Heppell said.

“I would love to know that this would just be a farm for the next 10 generations, and that would put a big smile on my face.”

-With files from Dean Recksiedler