Provincial Agricultural Minister Lana Popham is in Surrey today, first touring a local brewery in Bridgeview and then speaking at Kwantlen Polytechnic Unversity’s Cloverdale campus tonight.
(Video: Popham at Central City Brewers and Distillers)
Just after 2 p.m., Popham toured the Central City Brewers and Distillers facility, at 11411 Bridgeview Drive, to learn about their made-in-B.C. products. She also announced the brewery will receive more than $73,000 in matching funds from the provincial government, through the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C., to help it expand the local market for the craft beer and spirits it produces.
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Popham will then speak at Kwantlen, at 5500 180th St., starting at 6 p.m. The event will run until 8 p.m. and includes the presentation of Surrey’s first Agriculture Leadership Award.
Meantime, did you know that more than a third of Surrey’s land – 9,290 hectares, or 22,956 acres – is still in the Agricultural Land Reserve and that 3,035 hectares, or 7,500 acres, is considered to be not productive or under-utilized.
Nevertheless, Surrey farms do about $167 million in business and employ more than 3,300 workers.
After touring the Brewery, Popham is set to speak at Kwantlen. The event includes the presentation of Surrey’s first Agriculture Leadership Award. Popham is expected to lay out the government’s plan to support innovation and growth within B.C.’s agriculture industry during the free Kwantlen event.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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