Members of the Burke Mountain Naturalists and several Coquitlam city councillors are worried Metro Vancouver's plans for a farming academy at Colony Farm Regional Park could lead to the commercialization of the park.
Metro is moving ahead with plans that would introduce sustainable food production to the site and work as a research and training ground for urban agriculture.
But Elaine Golds, president of the Burke Mountain Naturalists, said she is disappointed with the plan and believes the region has not considered the impacts of the proposal. More agriculture in the park could increase human-wildlife conflicts, she said, noting she is also concerned with the types of agreements that could be signed with organizations that would operate the academy.
"All of those things need to be thought out very carefully when you start introducing commercial agriculture into the park," said The Tri-City News' Green Scene columnist. "I have no comfort level with what I have seen so far.
"It is a park and a park is for the people."
Several Coquitlam councillors also had reservations about the Metro plan.
Coun. Selina Robinson said Metro Vancouver would have a tough time convincing Coquitlam residents the academy and increased agriculture at the park is a good idea.
FARM ACADEMY COULD CREATE MORE TRAFFIC, ENVIRO ISSUES
Increased traffic, a larger parking lot on site and the use of animal habitat for farming were some of the issues many residents would have with the region's plans, she said.
"Those are going to be some real concerns for the folks who live here, which is different from the park users that might come far and wide to get here," she said. "People in Coquitlam are very protective of their parks."
If an academy were to move forward, Coun. Mae Reid pointed out that there are 24-acres across the street, on the Riverview Hospital lands, that could also be considered.
And Metro Vancouver should consider a post-secondary institution, like UBC, operating a satellite campus in the area, she said.
"I am not excited about the commercialization of this," Reid said. "I am excited to use it as a research centre or a teaching facility that could combine everything."
According to Metro Vancouver commissioner and CAO Johnny Carline, aspects of commercial agriculture would have to be incorporated at the academy in order to ensure that what is researched and taught can work in the real-world market place.
Colony Farm is unique, he said because it is central to the region and once was an operational farm. He added that there are no plans to launch a similar initiative at other regional parks.
"There is nobody arguing within our organization that commercial farming should occur in regional parks," Carline told Coquitlam's land use committee during a presentation on Monday. "I don't see the size of these lots getting anywhere near the conventional level for someone interested in investing in farming. This is small-scale food production to see how we can sustain this production at this scale on this kind of land."
Port Coquitlam, which also borders Colony Farm, has also been in talks with Metro Vancouver about the academy.
Mayor Greg Moore told The Tri-City News the city has waited for the region to conduct its public input sessions before weighing in on the proposal. Moore said his initial reaction to the idea of a agricultural learning centre was positive but cautioned that details still need to be worked out.
"There is definitely a need to have some sort of increased education to help our farming community," he said. "The details of how much the environmental areas are used is a key decision that will have to be made."
