A Rural Municipalities of Alberta resolution passed this fall may help push development of the Alberta Farmland Trust.
The trust is an effort to establish a way for productive farmland to be preserved in perpetuity, in much the same way as ecologically sensitive land is preserved through conservation easements and ecological gifts.
The RMA on Nov. 1 passed a resolution put forward by Wheatland County that will see the RMA ask the Alberta government to support creation of agricultural conservation easements. As well, the resolution directed the RMA to ask the federal government to work with Alberta and other provinces to establish an “agri-gift” program similar to the existing federal EcoGift program.
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The Alberta Farmland Trust was the initial brainchild of lawyer and rancher Stan Carscallen.
Concerned with provincial industrialization and growth that was eating up productive farmland, particularly in the Highway 2 corridor between Calgary and Edmonton, he and others developed the idea for a trust that would keep productive farmland in perpetual use.
Last week Carscallen said the trust now has an executive board and is ready to proceed with a farmland conservation project once it receives charitable registration.
However, the challenge with farmland conservation is that there are no tax advantages or capital gains tax forgiveness like those in place for ecologically sensitive land.
In the case of the latter, the capital gains tax against the landowner is waived. As well, federal environment department personnel appraise the land so its value is never challenged by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Such is not the case for a landowner who wants to donate agricultural land for preservation.
“In other words, he has to pay to do such a good thing,” said Carscallen. “We really need some legislative help and that’s where the rural municipalities come in.”
The RMA can lobby the provincial government but changes are primarily needed at the federal level. Ontario has a similar plan for farmland preservation, so Alberta could add its support for a federal program, he said.
“We know that there’s quite a push by the Ontario Farmland Trust with their government and we’re hoping that our government will hear the request. And we’re not looking for a great deal of money. We know provincial governments don’t have money these days, but they could help preserve our best food-producing land by giving us some small tweaks like waiving the capital gains tax on a donation of farmland to be made subject to a farmland conservation easement.”
Carscallen said the Alberta Farmland Trust is ready to proceed with a project even though none of the tax advantages yet exist for the landowner involved.
“That’s a case of a landowner who is so determined to do it, to preserve her land, that she’s prepared to accept the cost. That’s incredible and wonderful, but there aren’t many like her,” he said.
“The moment we have charitable registration, we are ready to go forward with our first project… that we’re keen to put in place. It’s an important one with some valuable and important farmland.”
Carscallen said agriculture is the answer to Alberta’s economic diversification and protection of productive farmland can be part of it.
“We are moving forward and… if we could ever get some government support on this concept, I think we’ll be fully ready to rock and roll with it but… we are going to need legislative change to allow it to become more generally accepted.”
Wheatland County is one of many rural municipalities under pressure to subdivide property for non-agricultural use. In its background to the RMA resolution, it said it was inspired to join advocacy efforts because it recognizes the importance of preserving and protecting valuable farmland.
“We hope that agricultural conservation easements will soon become a feasible option for the landowners in our municipality, and others, through this advocacy work,” the County said in its support of the resolution.
