A popular potato farm in Surrey has had its lease extended for another year as the push to buy locally and prevent food insecurity continues.
Every year, the Heppell family grows roughly 50 million servings of potatoes and other crops on a 220-acre parcel near 192nd Street and 36th Avenue.
The land is owned by the federal government and is leased to the family on a year-to-year basis and is not part of the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Earlier this year, Tyler Heppel told Global News that their lease may be ended to free up the land for other purposes.
There were discussions about using the land for housing or warehouses.
In addition, three First Nations have requested that a parcel of land within their traditional territory be returned to them.
The Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo (KKS) nations said the land, called k’ʷeq’ənəq (Kwek-en-nek) and known as Campbell Heights North in Surrey, should be returned to them to support their cultural and economic future.The Heppells launched a petition to save the farm, which more than 90,000 people have signed.
The “Buy Canadian” sentiment is gaining steam amid an escalating trade war with the United States.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Industry Minister Melanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian products.
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“When you choose a Canadian product, you’re not only putting pressure on the U.S., right now you’re protecting jobs,” she said.
Earlier this week, B.C. Premier David Eby said Canadian workers from coast to coast to coast need support now more than ever.“Obviously we’ve seen another attack from the United States,” Eby said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“And again, I’m asking British Columbians, if you have a choice, please don’t travel to the United States. Choose another place to do your tourism. If you can choose a Canadian product instead of an American one, please choose it.”
See the comment directly below. This person is spot on. Every other citizen in the country and around the world for that matter, has to produce hard physical evidence that can be validated in order to lay claim to something. And yet only this one small minority group of people can use unprovable oral history in a court of law as evidence and fact.
How is that in anyway fair and logical to the rest of society?
Katzie are the most hateful and arrogant First Nations I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. They constantly make up a new oral history for anything they lay claim to. They are playing a generations long game of telephone that started with an elk now has turned into a purple unicorn. Just lies as always.
Every time I buy Canadian potatoes they are either old, full of scabs or half rotten and come at a higher price than the US potatoes WHY IS THAT ?
The economic aspect relates to the industrial zoning in the area which is home to warehouses including those run by Amazon. I may be wrong but I don’t believe the Indigenous people historically used this culture site to store and distribute goods from China with 1 day delivery with a Prime membership.
Why do local stores not carry potatoes from Heppell’s farm rather than from the US?
I think we should make the freeloaders a trade. Brand new f150, a case of lays bbq potato chips, a case of chunky soups and a 24 pack of lucky beer
It’s water, you stupid no nothing prks. I have the same system
Wow. Some really really basement-dwelling stupid FKers are commenting on here
I want me some French fried pataters lol
The combined total population of the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo (KKS) Nations is approximately 1,100 to 1,300 registered members. 1300?!?!
So yeah, just give 300 acres of prime farm land away to 1,300 people who will be too lazy to farm it, instead of providing 50,000 million servings and listening to 90,000 people!?!?
90,000 people are against this!
Lol “ The Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo (KKS) nations” 🙄
Look at these three grifters squabbling over the land like seagulls at the beach over a forgetting baloney and process cheese sandwich.
The modern staple in any fridge on the Rez.
That don’t look like water to me , more like liquid cow manure. Where do we NOT buy these mud spuds
If Eby says to do something that is NDP Policy driven. I will be doing the exact opposite. Eby like Carney is just a UN sycophant.
Les,,,correction. I agree with you on Eby, but it’s federal land. It’s probably being negotiated with the liberals as we speak. Just like all that land in Victoria. We’ve got to get an election ASAP before even more is given away.
“The Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo (KKS) nations”
I thought Eby already gave B.C to all of them.
Oh please just make it ARL or whatever now. That said a good reporter would do more digging.
Find out the Feds long term plans are.
It wouldn’t surprise me all to find out this land is negotiates for behind more closed doors and NDAs as part of the treaty negotiations.