The decision to green-light the Southlands proposal doesn’t sit well with Harold Steves. The former MLA and current Richmond city councillor was instrumental in establishing the ALR in the 1970s as a member of Dave Barrett’s NDP government. Four decades later, he remains one of the ALR’s staunchest supporters. “This is one of the biggest agricultural issues facing the province,” says Steves, 79. “It definitely sets a precedent—this was a prime dairy farm and it’s being allowed to deteriorate.”