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Prairie Gardens closes 'temporarily' after Sturgeon County stop operations order

A closed sign is seen on the gate blocking access to a parking area near Prairie Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Brandon Lynch). A closed sign is seen on the gate blocking access to a parking area near Prairie Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton/Brandon Lynch).

A popular adventure farm for families and u-pick fruit and vegetable garden north of Edmonton has been served notice by Sturgeon County to follow a stop operations order.

In a statement, Sturgeon County said it formally reminded Prairie Gardens Adventure Farm on Aug.17 of a stop order issued in October 2021 due to "non-compliance with a forbearance agreement."

"This means, effective immediately, Prairie Gardens is no longer able to continue Intensive Agricultural Operations, including greenhouse, u-pick, market gardens, as well as Agritourism including corn maze, hayrides, and other small-scale events, until further notice," Sturgeon County said.

Prairie Gardens' website and social media say the farm is closed from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6.

"Due to new Sturgeon County regulations we can only allow 100 people per day at our farm for small scale consumer visits," the greenhouse and adventure farm said. "This is unsustainable for our small farm.

"We are temporarily closed and hope to resolve this matter," Prairie Gardens said, adding it is the first time in 38 years it will not be open at fall harvest time.

"Thank you for supporting our very local farm — we need your care and support now more than ever."

According to the county, the notice was issued due to "ongoing" and "significant" safety concerns, failure to follow occupancy limits, and requirements to improve parking, traffic and access to the site.

Jackie Sargent, county spokesperson, told CTV News Edmonton that "multiple complaints" had been received about the property related to noise, trespassing, traffic issues, permit compliance, and "other" issues.

"Last fall, unsafe interactions between members of the public and road traffic on Lily Lake Road were also observed and reported," Sargent added. "The operations and facilities were also non-compliant with municipal and provincial permit requirements."

Documents provided to CTV News Edmonton show that a stop order was first issued by the county on Oct. 15, with the two parties entering an agreement 12 days later that stipulated "a series of tasks and deadlines" to be completed by Prairie Gardens to remedy concerns.

Should those tasks be completed, the county said it would not enforce the stop order. In November, Prairie Gardens appealed the stop order, arguing it is a "historic farm" and that a previous special events permit allowed it to operate for 2021.

The Subdivision and Development Appeal Board upheld the stop order, issuing a decision in December last year, setting the deadline to comply with it to Oct. 22, 2022.

According to the (SDAB), Prairie Gardens needed to receive proper permits for all types of activities and events hosted at the site and abide by the conditions of event licenses.

Other restrictions the county imposed on Prairie Gardens in the stop order include limiting operating hours to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., no pedestrian activity on roadways surrounding the area to the site, no events, like weddings, retreats, concerts, and markets.

The stop order does not impact Prairie Gardens' ability to continue growing and harvesting crops and raising livestock, Sturgeon County says.

"Sturgeon County recognizes the popularity of Prairie Gardens for residents and visitors to the community," it added in a statement. "The decision to enforce the Stop Order was difficult, but our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of the public."

CTV News Edmonton has reached out to Prairie Gardens for comment.

Prairie Gardens is about 41 kilometres north of Edmonton near Bon Accord, Alta.

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