New child worker rules

Certain work will now be off limits to workers under the age of 18, according to new rules the BC Ministry of Labour announced October 11.

BC farms can no longer allow youth under the age of 18 to work in confined spaces or work with “dangerous equipment” at on-farm abattoirs.

A chainsaw is also off-limits for workers under the age of 18.

Workers under the age of 16 are also prohibited from engaging in construction work and jobs at heights that require fall protection.

The new rules follow a public consultation regarding the types of work appropriate for the various age groups. The consultation took place April 21 to June 10.

BC Ministry of Labour staff could not say how many workers will be affected by the new rules. It is discussing the question with staff at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The new rules further align BC’s child labour laws with those of other provinces and countries.

Prior to new rules passed in 2019, BC was the only province in Canada where children as young as 12 could be employed legally and their injuries covered by WorkSafe BC.

New rules that took effect last year raised the minimum working age from 12 to 16, and identified certain jobs as “light work” suitable for youth aged 14 to 15, with parental permission. This includes hand-harvesting produce on farms.

The new rules continue to allow children as young as 12 to work on a family farm or a farm business owned by an immediate family member, according to a program expert at the BC Ministry of Labour, “provided that the work does not involve the specified elements that make the work unsafe for children.”

Such elements include repairing, maintaining or operating heavy machinery; lifting, carrying or moving heavy items or animals; and using, handling or applying hazardous substances, such as pesticides.

The new rules add confined spaces and the use of dangerous abattoir equipment to that list.

But if youth are “simply performing a chore,” then the regulation doesn’t apply.

AgSafe recommends considering the age, ability and maturity level of younger workers when determining what activities are appropriate. A task-specific safety orientation is also recommended.

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21 hours ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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5 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.