MANITOBA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW AGRICULTURAL CROWN LANDS LEASES AND PERMITS REGULATIONS NOW IN EFFECT

The Manitoba government’s amendments to the Agricultural Crown Lands (ACL) Leases and Permits Regulation have now come into effect, Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.

“Manitoba producers felt abandoned by the previous government whose changes to Crown land leases hurt their livelihood,” said Kostyshyn. “Our government is committed to supporting producers and making it easier for them to put food on the table for families in Manitoba and around the world. These changes provide more certainty for producers as they make investments in their operations.”

The following amendments to the ACL Leases and Permits Regulation have now come into force and include:

• forage capacity will be determined when the lease is issued and will remain for the entire length of the agreement;
• a five-year extension on a 15-year lease term is available to leaseholders that complete and implement a forage management plan for at least the last five years of the 15-year lease term;
• unlimited transfers of a 15-year forage lease or renewable permit to any eligible lessee for the remainder of the lease term;
• legacy leaseholders will be able to nominate the next leaseholder, subject to the Treaty Land Entitlement and consultation assessment; and
• in the last year of the lease, outgoing leaseholders that choose to be compensated for improvements must obtain an appraisal from an accredited appraiser indicating the value of the eligible improvements. The appraised value will be posted at the time of allocation and if the lease is reallocated within two years of expiry, the successful bidder must pay the outgoing leaseholder the posted amount.

“The Agricultural Crown Lands program improves forage productivity, expands the livestock industry and aims to advance sustainability,” said Kostyshyn. “These amendments add options for leaseholders while ensuring use of the lands for traditional purposes and exercising of treaty rights.”

Manitoba’s agricultural Crown lands are parcels of land leased to producers for agricultural use including grazing, haying or annual cropping. Agricultural Crown lands are important public assets economically, environmentally, and socially. These Crown lands are essential to supporting and growing the livestock industry in Manitoba and provide mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Information regarding the ACL program and these regulatory changes can be found by contacting a local farm production extension specialist or by visiting https://gov.mb.ca/agriculture/land-management/crown-land/.