To the Editor,
Re: Urban agriculture a complex matter, Guest Comment, June 28.
I visited Dirk Becker’s and Nicole Shaw’s Compassion Farm in Lantzville last week for the first time. I wanted to see for myself if the manure, the flies, the run off, the traffic delivering wood chips and manure were a problem as described by the mayor.
Walking around the garden on a hot July day in a warm vegetably aroma, listening to the bees buzz, the birds sing and the chickens clucking away I found it hard to reconcile this pleasant green and productive place with the nuisance grounds/health hazard described by the mayor.
Only one councillor from Lantzville has actually visited this garden that has been awarded the Canadian Wildlife Federation Certification for Backyard Habitat.
If the mayor and the rest of council would only make time to visit and see for themselves that this garden is a pleasure to walk around and apart from contravening a zoning bylaw, poses no threat of any kind to anyone, maybe some more moderate views may prevail and a compromise be negotiated along with the bylaw amendment.
Lantzville is lucky to have these two avid gardeners and community activists. Lantzville councillors at least owe them a site visit before resorting to expensive legal punishment.
Liz Fox
Lantzville