This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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A government watchdog, IntegrityBC, has recently alleged that B.C. Agriculture Minister, Pat Pimm, must resign from cabinet because he directly intervened with the Agricultural Land Commission at multiple occasions. IntegrityBC stated that Pimm violated the rule asking cabinet ministers not to interfere with the independence of judges or quasi-judicial commissions, like the ALC, when he influenced the commission to reverse its decision against allowing a rodeo grounds and campground as a non-farm use on a parcel of Fort St. John farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
According to a press statement issued by IntegrityBC executive director, Dermod Travis, he stated that “when a minister crosses that line, the minister resigns.” Mr. Travis alleged that “he didn’t cross it just once. He crossed it a multitude of times.” It was explained that Pimm initially communicated with ALC through a letter issued on May 17, i.e. two days after he was elected MLA at provincial election, to express “concern” with the initial decision and later intervened in personal capacity in late May during ALC’s on-the-ground visit to the 70-hectare site to register his strong support for reversal.
It was unveiled that Pimm’s staffers contacted the ALC again in June and twice on July 25, when his ministerial assistant said Pimm wanted to know the outcome of the ALC’s reconsideration. Consequently, ALC issued a policy statement later on July 26, scolding Pimm’s representations as “not appropriate” lest it lead to an impression of the commission being politically influenced.
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