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“The old government let wealthy speculators drive the price of farm land out of reach for young farmers and allowed some of our most valuable agricultural land to be damaged,” agriculture minister Lana Popham said at the time.

The size is already the standard under current ministry guidelines, but those guidelines have not been enforced, with the province allowing municipalities to set their own limits or none at all.

Gill said the association, which is made up of about 350 farming families who collectively own about 15,000 acres of farm land, wants the bill amended to ensure anyone who had applied for permits is grandfathered in.

Kevin Buttar, a Surrey farmer who spoke at the meeting, said he and his family have already spent $200,000 over the last nine months to prepare to build a 6,200-square-foot home for their multi-generational family.

He said he was “blindsided” by the government legislation.

“I’ve followed all the guidelines the city has asked us to follow,” said Buttar. “Now they tell us you’re out of luck. There are many other farming families going through the same process. I feel the government has let us down.”

NDP MLA Jagrup Brar, who represents Surrey-Fleetwood, had told attendees that applicants with existing permits will be grandfathered in, said Buttar, but the statement didn’t allay his concerns.

“When they say ‘permit’ is that a building permit or a pre-load permit?” he said. “We want them to be more clear about that.”

Gill said agriculture critic Ian Paton had said he plans to table amendments to the bill on Monday.

“We hope our member’s voices are heard today and the amendments are considered,” he said.

The B.C. government says the bill was based on consultations including nine community stakeholder meetings, a survey of 2,300 respondents, and 275 written submissions.

chchan@postmedia.com

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