A family on Vancouver Island says they are moving to Nova Scotia because of the high cost of farming in B.C.
“By the time I was nine, I had drawings – kind of where my farm and barn would be – where my crops would grow,” Celina Knuff, owner of Back to Nature Acres, told Global News.
But now, keeping the farm alive has become a financial nightmare.
“With the high land costs, it has just been a lot to be able to make that work,” Knuff said.
She and her partner, Nick, have been farming the land since 2022, producing blueberries, citrus fruits and a place for some animals to call home.
But now the family is packing up and moving 6,000 kilometres away to Nova Scotia.
Knuff said that for the price of a one-bedroom condo on Vancouver Island, they were able to buy a 50-acre farm in Nova Scotia, where they will move their pets, livestock and citrus trees this September.
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She added that when they announced the move on social media, they received comments from former B.C. farmers saying they had made similar decisions and had zero regrets.
“All of these different places that have just allowed them to have more land, more freedom and grow their families,” Knuff said.
Farmland on Vancouver Island can exceed $100,000 an acre, particularly for smaller properties.
“The reality is, if we continue down this path, we won’t, we won’t have food that is made in B.C. anymore,” Emily Lowan, leader of the BC Green Party, said.
“Small farms will shutter and close.
“And we will become increasingly reliant on imports.”
In a statement, B.C.’s agricultural minister said: “We recognize the challenges that many new and young farmers are facing and my heart goes out to anyone having to make incredibly tough choices about what comes next.”
Knuff said the family believes this is the right decision.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” she said.
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