Bill 24, Climate Change and Farming in the British Columbia Interior

British Columbia's Bill 24 (2014) re-defined aspects of the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve system and deregulated the original policy of the ALR introduced into law in 1973. The ALR has been discussed and analysed in economic and political terms. In this paper we examine the climate change implications of Bill 24 for farmers and communities in the Okanagan Valley and in the Kootenays. Our research reveals the contentions around the Bill and the means by which it will accelerate climate change aspects in those communities rather than curtail them. The research interviewed farmers, community activists, local officials and politicians.