Series consists of records created and collected by Gary Runka during and after his time with the British Columbia Agricultural Land Commission. In the early 1970s, Runka served as the first general manager of the BC Agricultural Land Commission, the independent provincial body that has administered BC's Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) for over 40 years. As the first manager, Runka spearheaded the establishment of the ALR undertaking the technical tasks of setting ALR agricultural use boundaries, policies and procedures, as well as the building awareness and support for farmland preservation within government and with the public. He later served as Commission chair. Records include correspondence, informational material, publications, clippings, news releases, memoranda, symposium/conference material, reports, speech notes, and other textual material. Also includes seven maps, two buttons, six floppies, eighty slides, and one audio cassette tape.
File consists of personal correspondence to Gary Runka during (or related to) his time at the Agricultural Land Commission. Includes letters of appreciation and correspondence with Ministers.
This fonds illustrates the life and work of G. Gary Runka and his contributions to the province of British Columbia. Gary Runka was the first General Manager of British Columbia's Agricultural Land Commission and helped establish the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve. After transitioning from a government career to private consulting, Runka provided comprehensive professional services through his land consultancy business, G.G. Runka Land Sense Ltd., offering land capability and environmental assessments, integrated resource management, land and water use conflict resolution, and interdisciplinary land use planning. Described by colleagues as one of BC's most highly respected agrologists and influential land use planners, Runka had a 52-year career working on (or against) an incredible number of landmark projects in British Columbia, such as the Site C Project. Gary Runka’s partner in life and vocation, Joan M. Sawicki, worked with Gary on many of these projects—as well as her own; her contributions are also represented throughout the records of this fonds.
Gary Runka's deep connection to the land is evident from his earliest papers on aerial photo interpretation, his work with the Canada Land Inventory, through his speeches and his work establishing the BC Agricultural Land Reserve and in his subsequent consulting career through G.G. Runka Land Sense Ltd. Gary Runka's influence and legacy was recognized in the tributes paid after his death, including the post-humus award as the Real Estate Foundation's "Land Champion" for 2014.
The G. Gary Runka fonds has been divided into the following nine series:
1) Personal Records
2) Speeches & Publications
3) Professional Records
4) Agricultural Land Commission
5) Land Sense Ltd.
6) Client Files
7) Maps
8) Photographs
9) Digital Records
This "The Land is Yours" film is a promotional film produced by the British Columbia Department of Agriculture in Kelowna, ca. 1968 or 1969. The film was produced by Gary Runka and hosted by Russ Richardson. Runka and Richardson provide commentary throughout the film. The film was directed by Nobert Hartig.
Floppy consists of G.G. Runka Land Sense Ltd. client file records for jobs.
Floppy directories and file listing:
- 3594TBL.STY
- 359AGRI.DOC
- 359ALCNT.LST
- 359APR94.INV
- 359BCENG.DOC
- 359CONTR.DOC
- 359DEC93.INV
- 359EMERG.THM
- 359ENVI.DOC
- 359ENVI.NTS
- 359FAX.SHT
- 359FAX.STY
- 359FAX1.DOC
- 359FAX2
- 359FAX2.DOC
- 359FAX3.DOC
- 359FEB94.INV
- 359FED.DOC
- 359GEN.STY
- 359GGR.LCW
- 359GGR.SUM
- 359JAN18.LTR
- 359JAN94.INV
- 359JGPRI.NTS
- 359JULIE.NTS
- 359JUN94.INV
- 359LAB.FAX
- 359LCW.LTR
- 359LEE.LTR
- 359LIBRY.PGS
- 359MAR16.UPD
- 359MAR94.INV
- 359MAY94.INV
- 359MOTOR.LTR
- 359NOV1.QUE
- 359NOV1B.QUE
- 359NOV93.INV
- 359NOV94.INV
- 359OC93.INV
- 359OCT21.DOC
- 359OCT29.QUE
- 359OCT29.STY
- 359OGORM.LBL
- 359PHON.DOC
- 359PUBLC.PRT
- 359QUES.STY
- 359QUEST.AIR
- 359REF.RPT
- 359REV.RPT
- 359RPT.STY
- 359SEND.LTR
- 359SFU.DOC
- 359TBL.CNT
- 359THOM.FAX
- 359THORS.DOC
- 359TLA.DOC
- 359UPDAT.FRM
- 359UPDAT.STY
Floppy consists of G.G. Runka Land Sense Ltd. client file records for jobs.
Floppy directories and file listing:
- 360AG1.DOC
- 360AGEND.STY
- 360AGND.STY
- 360APR17.AGD
- 360APR94.INV
- 360BIGDA.FAX
- 360BIGFX.STY
- 360BLOC.DOC
- 360BOX.STY
- 360BRYNT.LTR
- 360COMMU.COM
- 360DEC93.INV
- 360DEC93.NTS
- 360DIST.LST
- 360DIST.STY
- 360FAX.STY
- 360FEB15.AGD
- 360FEB94.INV
- 360FEB94.NTS
- 360IMPLM.COM
- 360JAN94.INV
- 360JAN94.NTS
- 360JUN30.ADV
- 360JUN94.INV
- 360LAND.DES
- 360LNDUS.PLN
- 360LYNDE.AGD
- 360MANG.STY
- 360MAR10.AGD
- 360MAR10.LW
- 360MAR21.MEM
- 360MAR28.NTS
- 360MAR29.AGD
- 360MAR94.INV
- 360MAR94.NTS
- 360MAY16.FAX
- 360MAY19.AGD
- 360MAY2.FAX
- 360MAY3.FAX
- 360MAY30.AGD
- 360MAY94.INV
- 360MEDTR.PGE
- 360NEG.STY
- 360NEG2.APP
- 360NEGAP.FEB
- 360NEGDE.UNT
- 360NEGOT.APP
- 360NEGOT.PRO
- 360NEGUT.STY
- 360NOTE.INV
- 360NOV93.INV
- 360NOV93.NTS
- 360OCT4.LTR
- 360OVERH.STY
- 360POLCY.COM
- 360REPTS.COM
- 360SETTL.DEF
- 360SM-EK.DOC
- 360SMPUR.DOC
- 360SMRCK.DOC
- 360SMTRN.DOC
- 360SUMNT.STY
- 360TERM.STY
- 360THORN.LTR
- 360TRANS.COM
- 360WRKST.STY
File consists of a 1973 BC Land Commission photographic slide and audio tape set entitled "Land Commission Act and the Agricultural Reserve Plan" that was used in original public hearings throughout the province. The 80 slides included with the presentation materials were created mostly by Gary Runka. The audio cassette is a recording of the presentation with speakers Bill Lane, BC Land Commission Chair, and Gary Runka, BC Land Commission General Manager.
Series consists of the client file project records of G.G. Runka Land Sense Ltd., Gary Runka's consultancy business (co-owned with Joan Sawicki until 1991). G.G. Runka Land Sense Limited was incorporated as a company on 30 Nov. 1978 and dissolved on 30 Nov. 2018. Most business activity ceased after Gary Runka's death in July 2013. The company provided comprehensive professional services in land inventory, environmental assessment, integrated resource management, land and water use conflict resolution and interdisciplinary land use planning. Over the course of the company's operation, Gary Runka and his firm consulted on 681 assignments ranging from very large projects (such as the Site C project) to small residential/commercial land capability assessments.
The Land Sense Ltd. client files generally include records such as correspondence, contracts, invoices, project reports, publications, ephemera, memoranda, map excerpts, legal documents, meeting materials, clippings, and handwritten notes. Some client files are accompanied by related maps, photographs, aerial photographs, and/or digital records on storage media.
Slide depicts Mission Flats from South East Kelowna. Photograph taken from an empty field and depicts a developed field and a wooden house. Mountains and the Okanagan Lake can be seen in the background. Original slide index description: "Mission Flats from SE Kel."
Slide depicts orchards surrounding Mount Boucherie. The Okanagan Lake and mountains can be seen in the background. Original slide index description: "Orchards & sunflowers from Mt. Boucherie."
Slide depicts a row of red and yellow tulips in front of a row of blossoming cherry trees. Original slide index description: "Tulips & Chery Blossoms Ok. Mission."
Slide depicts peach trees blossoming in an orchard. Original slide index description: "Peach blossoms Shanboolard."
Slide depicts cherry trees blossoming in an orchard. Original slide index description: "Cherry blossoms Lakeview Heights."
Slide depicts peach trees blossoming in an orchard. Original slide index description: "Peach blossoms Lakeview Heights."
Slide depicts an apple tree blossoming in a backyard. The yard is surrounded by a wooden fence. Original slide index description: "Apple blossoms Kelowna."
Slide depicts peach trees blossoming in an orchard. Original slide index description: "Peach blossoms Casa Loma."
File consists of records relating to the Agricultural Land Commission. Includes correspondence, news releases, background information, papers, drafts, newspaper clippings, and memoranda. Highlights include:
- "The Exclusion of Land from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR): A Focus on the 1997 to 2000 Period - Summary Points" by Barry Smith
- "A Commitment to the Future: A Proposal for the Protection and Management of Richmond and Delta Farmland and Fraser Wetlands" (2007)
- "Protecting Agricultural Land in British Columbia: A Citizen's Guide"
- "Protecting the Working Landscape of Agriculture: A Smart Growth Direction for Municipalities in British Columbia" by Deborah Curran, West Coast Environmental Law (2005)
- "Smart Growth BC's Position on the Provincial Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)" (2003)
- "Use It or Lose It" article in BC Business by Katherine Gordon (2006)
- "The Rural-Urban Connection: Growing Together in Greater Vancouver" by Barry E. Smith and Susan Haid (2004)
- "Threats to Your Foodlands: Protecting B.C. Food Security" pamphlet by the ALR Protection and Enhancement Committee (2005)
- "Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve: Our Foodlands under Threat" paper by the ALR Protection and Enhancement Committee (2005)
- "BC Cattlemen's Association Agricultural Land Reserve Information Brief"
- "Bill 21 - 2002 Agricultural Land Commission Act"
- Land Reserve Commission of British Columbia local government seminars informational material
- Job advertisement for the position of the Chair of the Agricultural Land Commission
- "Agricultural Land Commission/Oil and Gas Commission Delegation Background Note" (2003)
- "ALC Reserve Opinion: An Information Bulletin from British Columbia's Agricultural Land Commission" Spring 2003 (Vol. 1, No. 7)