Agriculture and Wine

In four years, a program to bring immigrants workers to B.C.’s agricultural industry is paying dividends for both sides.
Mike Wallis, general manager for the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative (WALI), said when the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program began in the province in 2004, there were 47 Mexican workers and nine employers on board.
Wallis said it has experienced rapid increases to the point where in 2007 some 2,200 workers and 220 farmers were part of the program.
The labour initiative is responsible for overseeing and operating the seasonal worker program for the agricultural industry, said Wallis, who noted a similar program has been operating in Ontario for about the past 30 years.
The bulk of the workers coming to B.C. are from Mexico, although the program has been attracting workers from the Caribbean.
This year, Wallis is estimating about 2,800 — 3,000 immigrants coming to B.C. to participate in the program, and based on previous years, when about one third of the totals came to the Okanagan, it could mean as many as 1,000 workers.
Wallis noted that in the South Okanagan there are 37 employers in Oliver and 16 Osoyoos employers seeking the services of WALI for this farming season.
David Geen, a B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association executive who also owns a small Okanagan orchard, said the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program didn’t start to gain momentum in the area until 2006.
Geen said the horticultural, nursery, berry and greenhouse industries in the Lower Mainland all watched the number of immigrant workers increase each year following its start up in 2004.
Although Geen’s farm is small, and his contact with immigrant workers who are part of the program is limited, he’s received feedback from other farmers.
“Certainly the workers that come, that I’ve run into and what I hear about-99 per cent of them are extremely happy,” he said.
In a small orchard such as Geen’s – at slightly more than three hectares – there may be only about a week’s worth of work, but it comes at critical times such as harvesting or pruning seasons.
“From an employer’s point of view, they’re able workers, they’re consistent workers who come with the expectation to make money to take home with them,” he said.
On some occasions, immigrant workers and their employers experience may clash regarding working conditions or housing issues but such occurrences are rare, he said.
Wallis agreed.
“There are issues with it but as far as managed migration, it’s a good program,” said Wallis.
Wallis said the reason the program works well is that many Canadian workers are not willing to fill these type of entry level jobs taken by immigrant workers, and to be willing to show up for work in all types of weather conditions.
The federal government has also proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to recognize the importance of immigrant workers, and to address the economic urgency created by the current skills shortage.
The changes mean Citizenship and Immigration Canada would finally be afforded the flexibility it needs to begin prioritizing applications based on Canada’s urgent need for skilled workers, which is essential to the country’s economy, said John Winter, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce in a news release.

Agriculture is a significant contributor to the economy of the Okanagan region with more than 1,700 growers and 22,300 acres in orchards. Tree fruit, vegetable, and cattle production form an important base for secondary manufacturing in the area. Although primary agricultural-based employment continues a long-term decline, it still provides direct employment for approximately 3,000 workers in the south Okanagan labour force. The trend today is to dwarf tree, high density planting and specialty fruits. There are 428 orchards (over 2 acres in size) in the Oliver area.

Each year many seasonal workers arrive to assist in the picking of fruit, starting with cherries (in June) and ending with grapes in October. The Similkameen-Okanagan packing houses generally handle almost 100 million pounds of fruit a year depending on the weather.

The South Okanagan valley has one of the longest growing seasons in Canada, fresh water irrigation, rapidly expanding markets nearby, and is attracting new value added agricultural products. Oliver offers many investment opportunities in food production, packaging and processing. Currently there are specialized farms raising ostrich, wild boar, organic fruits and vegetables and native flowers and plants. The Agricultural Research Station continues to undertake research and development work on new agricultural products and to improve the existing varieties.

Oliver is known as the centre of the wine industry in the Okanagan with the largest concentration of both vineyards and commercial wineries in British Columbia. In 1997 there were nine operating wineries varying in size from large commercial operation to small family-run operations.

The majority of these are located along what is known as the Golden Mile of Highway 97, just south of Oliver. New wineries and additional lands are being put into production in what is expected to be a growth industry for the next five to 10 years. The rolling terraces, exceptionally mild climate with lots of sun, gravelly soil and availability of irrigation produce the right elements for growing high-quality grapes.

Many of the vineyards are under contract with larger B.C. wineries to provide an annual supply of grapes. The varietal styles include both red and white wine producing grapes with significant concentrations of German and French vines. The sales and production of high-quality VQA (Vinters Quality Alliance) wines has significantly increased Oliver’s tourism industry. The two annual grape and wine festivals attract upward of 100,000 visitors to the Okanagan. It is expected that the wine industry will provide new tourist-related businesses and spin-off opportunities for value-added or supplementary products.

Vincor International (Jackson-Triggs) is the largest company producing wine for customers throughout Canada as well as for export. The company leases its land from the Osoyoos Indian Band and currently employs 64 people with in annual payroll of $1.7 million. The largest vineyard in Western Canada is operating on lands also leased from the Osoyoos Indian Band, and plans are in place for even more acres to be planted.

There are more than 2,000 acres of vineyards in the Okanagan – the largest are found in the Oliver area. There are about 40 different wineries now producing in the Okanagan. In 1994, economic activity created by the wine and grape industry exceeded $75 million.

Harvesting of the grapes generally takes place between mid September to the end of October.