Roughly half of the City of Richmond isn't city at all ---- it's farmland. Much of it is locked in the Agricultural Land Reserve, which was established in the 1970s to protect arable land in B.C.

But as we have reported over the years, sizeable chunks of ALR land here have been degraded, as landowners turned their properties into unregulated landfills. The dumping of questionable fill and even demolition waste has gone on virtually unchecked.

Part of the problem is a lack of adequate funding and staffing, according to BC Auditor General John Doyle. But an equally big problem, according to Doyle's recent report on the Agricultural Land Commission, is that the commission simply seems to lack direction and will. Doyle concludes the ALC is "not adequately protecting the ALR." And while he does cite staffing challenges, the ALC's problems are also related to a lack of resolve and direction.

When the ALR was established in the 1970s, it was set up so hastily that the "accuracy" of ALR maps varies throughout the province, Doyle says.

"As a result, some land that is neither capable of or suitable for farming -- a steep hillside or ravine, for example -- may have been included in the ALR while other areas of land that is capable of and suitable for farming may not have been."

Owners of ALR land on River Road (where much of the degradation of farmland has taken place) and along No. 4 Road could have a field-day with this report, because it could bolster their argument that their land should never have been placed in the ALR in the first place.

On the other hand, it could also be argued that virtually any land in Richmond is potentially viable farmland simply because of its soil quality. With proper drainage, almost any land here can be made arable -- unless, of course, it was turned into a landfill while the ALC's collective head was turned.