Governments stepping in to keep fruit pickers, communities safe
Thousands of workers from Quebec, where there’s 28,000 COVID-19 cases, expected
Precautions are being put into place to protect the public and thousands of young Quebecers who spend summers picking fruit in the Okanagan.
As of Friday, there were nearly 28,000 cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, representing about half of all infections in Canada.
Unlike temporary foreign workers, there are no travel restrictions or mandatory quarantine periods for Quebecers arriving in the Okanagan like there are for temporary foreign workers, so local agencies are stepping in to help.
A few kilometres northwest of Oliver on Secrest Road, the Loose Bay Campground has long served as a popular place for transient fruit pickers to make their temporary homes. For years it was operated by a society that provided water, power and other services.
However, that society recently dissolved, leaving the Regional District of OkanaganSimilkameen to pick up the slack.
Staff from the local government visited the site Friday, opening day, to install signage providing guidance on COVID-19 safety protocols and provincial health orders.
The kitchen and communal areas have been closed, and campfires banned to discourage people from gathering, while the RDOS intends to step up visits from bylaw officers and cleaning staff.
While imposing safety measures at Loose Bay is a great start, said Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff, it only captures a tiny portion of transient fruit pickers, who typically start the season in her community before moving north.
Transients working near Osoyoos tend to camp in smaller groups where they pick or on Crown land, she explained, expressing concern that smaller farms may not have the resources to follow all health precautions.
“We need the pickers, we need people to come here and help to maintain a good supply and get the crops off, and we have to be kind to them and they have to in turn be kind to the people in town, too,” said McKortoff.
“People are scared, they’re afraid of things, but my bottom line is you look after yourself and that helps everybody else.”
The smaller farms – and big ones, too – are the subject of an education campaign launched by the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association to address safety concerns.
General manager Glen Lucas said one of the agency’s seasonal employees was even rehired two months early to assess the situation on the ground.
Last week in the South Okanagan, “he found that there were the usual small number of Quebecois at this time of season, and that they were primarily in self-contained camper vans,” Lucas said in an email.
That seasonal employee, along with another was recently hired to assist, are both fluent in English, Spanish and French.
In addition, continued Lucas, “We have been providing our members with up-to-date information on COVID-19 requirements, via the front page of our website, bcfga.com.
“Additionally, two of our board members have been through the provincial inspection process and from this experience we are able to start developing training programs. BCFGA is planning a webinar for its members next week, which will review the current COVID-19 safety requirements.
“These workshops will be useful for any employee on farms, including foreign workers, Quebecois, and local workers.”
Lucas noted growers are anticipating a labour shortage this summer, and encouraged locals to consider giving agriculture a shot.
The work begins in earnest with the midJune cherry harvest in the South Okanagan and ramps up through August as fruit ripens throughout the Valley.
If you’re interested in helping with the harvest, you can arrange an orientation session by calling 250-859-7503.