BC Blueberry council set for elections

The BC Blueberry Council is set to elect six new directors.

One will be elected from Region A, which includes Abbotsford, Agassiz and Chilliwack. Two directors will be chosen from each of Region B (Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge) and Region C (Surrey, Delta, Richmond, Langley). The sixth director is at large.

Seven candidates are running for the positions.

Xin Wang, Dalbir Benipal, Ryan Thiara and Ray Biln are running in Region B. In Region C, Gurprit Singh Brar, Paul Sangha and Harjot Toor are trying their luck.

“Being a blueberry grower, I have faced a lot of challenges. My aim is to raise the voice of the blueberry growers and work for a change in research, marketing and processing of the berries,” says Gurprit Brar, a young blueberry farmer in Langley.
Two directors were acclaimed. Bryce Guliker was chosen to represent Region A while Dave Gill will be director-at-large.

The new directors will hold their positions for three years.

There are around 80 voters in Region B and 200 voters in Region C.
“Members in Regions B and C will be receiving ballots in the mail, which need to be mailed or hand-delivered to the MNP offices in Abbotsford by December 4. MNP will count the votes,” said Abbie Henderson, program coordinator with the BC Blueberry Council. “Due to COVID-19 concerns, our annual general meeting is taking place virtually. The results will be announced at the meeting on December 10.”