Proposed new service to support the Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan (SVAP)

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is proposing to establish a dedicated regional district service to support agricultural planning, coordination, and implementation activities that align with the objectives of the Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan (SVAP).

At the Board meeting on January 28/29, 2026, the Board gave first, second, and third readings of Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan Service Establishing Bylaw No. 1946-2026. See the associated staff report here.

The participating areas of this service are District of Squamish and Electoral Area D, as shown on this map:

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Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan Service Establishing Bylaw No. 1946-2026 (the “Bylaw”) will:

• establish a regional district service to support agricultural planning, coordination, and implementation activities aligned with the Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan;
• define the service area as the District of Squamish and Electoral Area D;
• authorize the SLRD to recover service costs through property value taxes and other revenue sources permitted under the Local Government Act; and
• set a maximum annual requisition amount of the greater of $75,000 or the equivalent of $0.00483 per $1,000 of net taxable assessed value of land and improvements.

By formalizing a stable funding mechanism, the Bylaw will align with regional objectives related to agricultural land protection, food system resilience, long-term planning, and responsible governance.

What the service will support

The service is intended to provide flexibility to support a range of activities that advance the objectives of the Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan, including:

• agricultural planning and coordination;
• implementation of SVAP actions;
• collaborative initiatives and partnerships;
• work undertaken by the SLRD, the District of Squamish, and/or external organizations.

Specific activities and funding allocations would be determined by the SLRD Board through its annual budgeting process.

If all required approvals are received, the service is expected to be in place for the 2027 taxation year.

How the service will be funded

The cost of the Service will be borne by all taxable properties in the proposed service area.

The service will be funded through a property value-based tax requisition calculated using the net taxable value of land and improvements within the service area and would have a maximum annual requisition of the greater of $75,000 or $0.00483 per $1,000 of assessed value. The actual requisition amounts (up to the stated maximum noted above) will be determined annually through the SLRD Board budgeting process.

District of Squamish

For the District of Squamish, the estimated taxation cost per $1,000,000 of converted residential assessed value of land and improvements is $3.85. This estimate is based on the 2026 Completed Assessment Roll and assumes a 10% residential property class taxation rate. Additional residential property value scenarios for the District of Squamish are provided below:

Electoral Area D

For Electoral Area D, the estimated taxation cost per $1,000,000 of converted residential
assessed value of land and improvements is $3.85, consistent with the District of Squamish as noted above. However, this amount does not include the mandatory 5.25% collection fee
charged by the Province of British Columbia for the collection of electoral area tax requisitions. When the provincial collection fee is included, the estimated cost per $1,000,000 of converted residential assessed value of land and improvements increases to $4.05. Additional residential property value scenarios for Electoral Area D, including the 5.25% provincial collection fee, are provided below:

Approval by the Provincial Inspector of Municipalities

On March 10, 2026, the SLRD was advised by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs that Inspector Approval had been obtained on March 6, 2026.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is seeking participating area approval through the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) for the service area as a whole. The service area consists of the District of Squamish and Electoral Area D.

Eligible electors may indicate opposition to the Bylaw by submitting a completed elector response form. The SLRD Board may proceed with adoption of the Bylaw unless at least 10 per cent of eligible electors submit valid response forms by the deadline date of 4:30 p.m. on April 27, 2026. 

If an eligible elector supports the Bylaw, no action is required.

For the AAP:

• the total number of eligible electors in the service area has been determined to be 22,976; and
• a minimum of 2,297 elector responses would be required to prevent the Board from proceeding without further elector assent.

The Notice of Alternative Approval Process is being published for two consecutive weeks as follows:

• The Squamish Chief on March 19 and March 26, 2026
• Pique Newsmagazine on March 20 and March 27, 2026

The deadline date to submit completed elector response forms is April 27, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.

The Board will receive a staff report about the outcome of the AAP at the SLRD Board meeting on May 27/28, 2026.

For more information, please contact: info@slrd.bc.ca