SALT SPRING ISLAND—BC Parks is looking for a farm manager for Ruckle Farm on Salt Spring Island through a competitive bid process, after assuming full responsibility for the 200-acre working farm within Ruckle Provincial Park. The farm was managed privately in a life legacy agreement between BC Parks and the Ruckle family, which sold the …
NEWS
Finding new potential for a lost native berry
KELOWNA—Two years ago, Jane and Michael Johnston traded life in White Rock for a farm in southeast Kelowna. She’s a registered nurse who’d risen to be executive director of a chain of high-end seniors residences. He’s the former CEO of an engineering firm. Both were looking for a new business opportunity. What they found was …
Slow drip on groundwater licences
The number of groundwater licences issued in the province continues to climb. A total of 593 licences have been issued since the registration and licensing process began in 2016. This is up from the 462 licenses issued as of February 22, when the province announced a further waiver of application fees non-domestic users of groundwater. …
SAWP prepares for 2020
Ottawa began accepting applications this week from employers seeking workers through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program for 2020. Employment and Social Development Canada is taking applications for workers arriving between January and March 2020. The move aims to help employers avoid delays securing workers, a particular challenge last year for farms hiring workers from Mexico. …
Temporary workers get boost
A three-year pilot program intended to attract foreign workers to the meat, mushroom and greenhouse vegetable sectors is getting mixed reviews in BC. Originally announced in this year’s federal budget, the program will give employers a chance to hire workers for a two-year period through the temporary foreign worker program. Qualified workers will have the …
Ag minister brings cash
Two weeks into parliament’s summer recess, and federal politicians have been busy making the rounds as Ottawa prepares for an election on October 21. Agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau toured several farms in BC last week as part of a swing through the province that saw cash announced for the berry and dairy sectors. The largest …