Consultations on Canada’s first national water security strategy wrapped up on October 25, with the BC Fruit Growers Association among the BC farm groups making submissions.
Discussions with stakeholders in BC in mid-October highlighted the need for action to address a fourth consecutive year of drought in the Okanagan and the need for an investment of up to $1 billion in agricultural water infrastructure.
The province has committed $120 million through the Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program, but former agriculture minister Lana Popham indicated no further funding was forthcoming. Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson has also told his caucus that “difficult decisions” that may be unpopular lie ahead – typically a signal of fiscal restraint.
Drought and a lack of adequate water storage left growers in the North Okanagan with just 30% of their usual allocation this past season.
“For tree fruit growers, reliable water access is essential to both annual production and long-term orchard viability,” BCFGA says in a memo to members. “BCFGA will continue advocating for practical investments and policies that protect growers and strengthen farm profitability.”
The need for collaboration between governments and among stakeholders is also important in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds, which are both mustering support for water storage projects in their respective areas.
Salmon River producers are preparing to host a public information session in Salmon Arm on December 9 that will explain the importance of work underway in their watershed following four years of temporary protection orders that curtailed forage irrigation to protect fish populations.
But it can’t be one or the other, says Jesse Zeman, executive director of the BC Wildlife Federation, which is supporting the efforts of Salmon River producers and hopes to work with those in the Bessette.
“All these pressures are mounting, and we’re at a place in time where we can pull together, which is what we’re doing, and try to figure out solutions,” he says. “We all want the same outcomes, and we’re willing to work towards the same outcomes, so that’s where there’s strength – on the funding side, on the social capital and on the political side.”
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