A Vancouver Island farming family, Celina Knuff and her partner Nick, are relocating to Nova Scotia due to rising costs of farming in British Columbia. The cost of farmland on Vancouver Island can exceed $100,000 an acre, making it difficult for small farmers to stay afloat. According to Knuff, the couple was able to purchase a 50-acre farm in Nova Scotia for the price of a one-bedroom condo on Vancouver Island, where they will move this September. The relocation has sparked concern from BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan about the long-term viability of farming in British Columbia.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-20,
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Story summary
A family who owns a farm called Back to Nature Acres on Vancouver Island is moving to Nova Scotia due to the high cost of farming in British Columbia. Celina Knuff, the owner, has been farming with her partner Nick since 2022 and produces blueberries, citrus fruits, and raises animals. She says that with high land costs on Vancouver Island, it's become financially difficult to keep the farm running. The family will be relocating 6,000 kilometres away to Nova Scotia in September, where they've been able to buy a 50-acre farm for a price comparable to a one-bedroom condo on Vancouver Island. Knuff notes that many other former B.C. farmers have made similar decisions and report having no regrets about it. The family is moving their pets, livestock, and citrus trees with them.
Written for “B.C. Farm Costs Drive Exodus” on 2026-08-31,
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Leaning score -0.55 for article 1464 (low confidence, 0 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-24
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.
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Knuff → say → News
But now, keeping the farm alive has become a financial nightmare.
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keeping → keep → farm
“With the high land costs, it has just been a lot to be able to make that work,” Knuff said.
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Knuff → make → costs
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.
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animals → farm → blueberries
But now the family is packing up and moving 6,000 kilometres away to Nova Scotia.
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family → pack → 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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they → say → pets
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.
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they → add → regrets
“All of these different places that have just allowed them to have more land, more freedom and grow their families,” Knuff said.
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Knuff → allow → families
Farmland on Vancouver Island can exceed $100,000 an acre, particularly for smaller properties.
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Farmland → exceed → 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.
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Lowan → continue → Party
“Small farms will shutter and close.
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farms → shutter → ?
And we will become increasingly reliant on imports.”
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we → become → 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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she → say → direction
