A dark day in BC

And no, I'm not talking about the weather, though the gloomy skies this afternoon appear to be in agreement. It's a dark day because today is the day BC Hydro has begun filling the reservoir created by the Site C Dam on the Peace River. 

The water will flood 6,649 hectares of farmland. To put that into the more familiar terminology most of us still use, that's just about 16,000 acres. But even that number doesn't really compute as to just how massive this reservoir will be when it's full--and how much arable land we're losing. 

About the closest familiar bit of land that's pretty much equivalent to an acre is a football field. So, if you think about how much food could be grown on one football field, and we're talking 16,000 of them--well, I think you get my drift over how hideous this loss is. 

It gets even worse if you stop to consider how much farmland we keep losing in the Lower Mainland, particularly in Richmond and Surrey where condos, mega-houses, and warehouses keep being built, covering our farmland. 

As our climate keeps getting warmer, the tragedy only grows, as there's little doubt the region would soon be capable of growing foods that long had to be grown further south. 

I know, I've been ranting about the folly of this project for a long time, but somehow I tricked myself into thinking it still might not happen. Sadly, it turns out, I was very wrong. 

Now I guess we'll need to find a name for this dreadful new 'lake' that will cover so much. Lake Disappointment? Lake Horrible? How about Lake Despair. 

A harbinger of things to come

Coming out of my local library this afternoon, the world sounded different. There was a kind of rustling, along with a hint of even a different scent. For once, the scent wasn't smoke from a fire up country, it was, I decided, the scent of autumn.

Where it's not even mid-August, it seems early for this, but maybe I'm some kind of optimist who still doesn't expect any such change until closer to September. Nonetheless, early autumn certainly seemed to be in the air. 

Then, walking to my car, I stopped to chat with a woman who felt the same change I did. So at least it was comforting in a way to know I wasn't alone in my feelings. 

And sure enough, leaves beneath the trees only confirmed these early autumn thoughts. 

I'm counting on more summer ahead, but can't pretend I'm not mindful that the season has already begun its steady shift. 

By the way, I couldn't help but wonder about the word that came to mind earlier: harbinger. As with so many of the words in our language, it's an oldie and has some interesting history. 

Food matters

The 'theme' of my life this week seems to have been food security. I'm blessed, in that I have a healthy garden that gives me fresh produce every day -- berries, lettuce, and tomatoes -- and beyond that, I have a pantry that's well stocked. Not everyone is so fortunate. 

Saturday was "Ugly Potato" Day, an annual event sponsored by Heppell Family Farm, a good citizen of

Surrey, to be sure. Hundreds of people came out to the Cloverdale Fair Grounds where huge bins filled with potatoes, carrots, and more were there for the picking -- and free. The photo above is an example of one family's load. 

It's a horrifying thought, but the Heppell farmland is under threat, and at a time when our rising population is certainly placing a demand on farmers to produce more, more, more. If, like me, you think protecting that property is a cause worth supporting, maybe you'll consider signing a petition (along with the over 80,000 who have signed) that says so. 

The other threat to our food security has been the unexpected shutdown of the BC Tree Fruits Co-op. It's an association that's existed since 1936 and it's been a facility where growers could store their fruit, have it graded and marketed, and then shipped to outlets. So here we are -- in the midst of harvest, no less -- and who knows what growers are supposed to do without the co-op. Load up their vehicles and drive to the Lower Mainland? Sell produce out of the back of their car??

This bothered me enough that I wrote to Pam Alexis, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, both at her business address as an MLA and to the address for the Ministry. I cc'ed my local MLA and also sent a copy to the Vancouver Sun. 

The first reply I received was from an assistant to Trevor Halford, my riding's MLA. It at least was somewhat personalized, though didn't address a solution to the issue. The next reply was robotic, an acknowledgment from the Ministry office. Nothing from the Honourable Pam Alexis, MLA. The only correspondent who really came through was the newspaper, who published my letter in yesterday's edition. 

One of the points I raised was that if such a key distribution network had failed elsewhere -- like, in Alberta (where oil remains king), governments of all stripes would have jumped in with cash. All I can hope is that the letter might help raise the pressure on our government to do something to save this year's crop for the fruit growers. After all, a handful of fruit is certainly more satisfying than a handful of oil.