Whereas ongoing illegal fill dumping on Agricultural Land Reserve ALR lands in British Columbia violates the Agricultural Land Commission Act and local government bylaws, exacerbated by insufficient Agricultural Land Commission ALC enforcement resources, frequent disregard of stop work orders, and the lengthy, costly court process for fine collection; And whereas violators often lack resources for court-ordered remediation post-fines, causing lasting environmental damage, while other agencies including WorkSafeBC and the BC Conservation Officer Service effectively utilize equipment seizure to immediately prevent further violations and lessen remediation costs: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM petition the Province of British Columbia to amend legislation to grant the Agricultural Land Commission and relevant provincial agencies the authority to immediately seize equipment involved in illegal fill dumping activities on Agricultural Land Reserve lands, drawing on regulatory authorities used by WorkSafeBC Occupational Safety Officers and BC Conservation Officers.
