The island

Denman farm-plan meeting draws questions on proposed rules

Residents raised concerns about proposed changes to farming definitions, setbacks and agri-tourism at a public meeting.

The Denman Firestarter · reporting 2018-08-30 · compiled 2026-10-01

Back issue. The Denman Firestarter did not exist on 2018-08-30. This edition was compiled on 2026-10-01 from the public record as it stood on 2018-08-30, and contains nothing dated after that day — no outcomes, no hindsight. It is a reconstruction of what was on the record at the time, not a document from the time. This edition.

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About 35 people attended an August 2 community information meeting on the Denman Island Farm Plan Implementation Project, where staff outlined potential amendments to the Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw.^[1]

Questions and comments covered proposed definitions, setbacks and agri-tourism rules. Residents raised concerns about the definition of “feedlot,” including whether it could apply to small-scale operations, and questioned the proposed inclusion of cannabis production in “intensive agriculture.”^[1]

Staff said the proposed feedlot definition added “wholly” to the phrase about operations sustained by means other than grazing, and that an operation involving grazing or pasturing would not be considered a feedlot. Staff also said the proposed 50-metre setback was a starting point for discussion; the standard setback in that situation was 30 metres.^[1]

At its August 7 meeting, the Local Trust Committee heard a request to remove cannabis from the definition of “intensive agriculture” and to address cannabis regulations as a separate project. The minutes record that request, but do not record a decision on it.^[2]

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