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Horticultural farm operations in the Okanagan are labour intensive, but the supply of domestic labour for agriculture (e.g. the number of Canadian farm workers) is in long-term decline due to demographic and other economic reasons.
At the same time the acreage of the most labour intensive crop - cherries - is growing. Grape acreage is also growing. Although apple acreage is falling, by about 15% over the past three years, overall demand for agricultural labour is increasing in the Okanagan. A labour strategy will address the imbalance between labour supply and demand.
Prior to the introduction of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in 2008, labour shortages were emerging in the Okanagan horticulture sector. With the ability to bring in temporary foreign workers from Mexico and the Caribbean, labour supply came into balance between 2008 to 2019.
However, post-2019 issues have emerged that complicated the supply-demand balance for labour:
Increasing intervention of government agencies has led to regulatory burdens and delays.
A new government in Mexico and other challenges has led to a pause in the growth of workers supplied by the Mexican SAWP program at about 3,500 workers in the Okanagan, though the Caribbean program (while starting from a smaller base) has grown over 50% in two years to 1,500 workers.
It is important to note that these trends are not matched in other provinces, and one difference is the location of the Jamaican Liaison Service in Kelowna. In fact, essentially all Caribbean workers in BC are located in the Okanagan, whereas only one-half of the Mexican workers in BC are located in the Okanagan. A lack of direct flights from the Caribbean to Kelowna is creating problems under COVID-19.
COVID-19 travel restrictions and other requirements, and many related issues, led to an arrival rate of 80 to 90% of those workers requested and approved in LMIAs. Though this is a reduction in available workers, the outcome could have been much worse without extreme effort by agriculture organizations and governments. A key part of protecting workers from COVID-19 infection was the two week centralized quarantine provided by the province. Additionally, an inspection of housing to review adoption of COVID-19 protocols on farms was carried out by BCMAFF.
COVID-19 travel restrictions halted the International Experience Program (work visas for Australian and Eastern European youth tourists, or ‘backpackers’) in 2020 and greatly restricted the program in 2021. The usual 300-500 IEP backpackers were not available in 2020 and 2021.
COVID-19 travel restrictions, government wage assistance programs, and increased competition from at-home Quebec employers reduced the number of Quebecoise youth backpackers. It is estimated that the number of Quebec youth backpackers was reduced from about 1,000 to 500 for 2020 and 2021. The same rationale for reduced numbers also applies to local workers in 2020 and 2021, where the shortfall is also estimated to be reduced from 1,000 to 500.
Taken together, the shortfall in the number of seasonal workers in the Okanagan dropped by 1,600, or 30.4% of the total seasonal agricultural workforce of 6,900.
Offsetting this drop in labour supply were crop shortfalls that occurred because of frost damage to the 2020 cherry crop and heat damage to the 2020 cherry crop, with reductions of about 25% in the crop size. Apple volumes were not as affected by weather, but apple acreage has reduced by 15% over the past four years. Grapes and apples can have longer harvest windows than cherries, where harvest and post-harvest movement of the cherry crop is much more time- and labour-sensitive.
Overall labour supply was inadequate but disaster was averted by reduced crops in 2020 and 2021. Some crops were abandoned or downgraded due to extended harvest caused by short labour supply.
For the immediate future, a key action identified is an estimate of normal harvest labour requirements, an estimate of the 2021/2022 winter frost impact on yields and an adjusted labour requirement for 2022. A longer-term projection of harvest labour needs should be developed and the estimate updated as needed using the methodology developed for the short term harvest labour requirements.
How Labour Initiatives are Organized
As part of the consultative process for the Tree Fruit Stabilization Initiative, an on-line consultation was held on May 12, 2021, attended by organizations involved in labour programs and services.
The main outcome of the meeting was agreement that the current processes in place for the Temporary Foreign Worker programs are suitable for managing the evolution of the TFW programs. A consensus also emerged that a desirable goal would be a pathway to immigration for interested foreign nationals that have adequate experience in the TFW programs.
The structure and responsibility of the labour organizations will continue to evolve and grow as they have in the past. The BCFGA has proposed that our Labour Committee will become the WALI Okanagan Subcommittee, made up of members of the WALI advisory committee (also known as the BCAC Labour Committee) representatives on the sub-committee. The composition of the WALI Okanagan Labour Committee will better match the scope of the work that was previously done by the BCFGA Labour Committee.
There are many partner organizations engaged in improving the labour supply and anticipating labour demand for farms. The main organizations engaged (i.e. excluding COVID-19 participation) are:
- CHC - Labour Committee
- Canadian Federation of Agriculture
- Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council
- BC Agricultural Council, Labour Committee
- Western Agricultural Labour
Initiative (WALI)
- •WALI Okanagan Labour
Sub-committee (proposed)
- Domestic Worker Advisory Committee, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Migrant Worker Support Network, Employment and Social Development Canada
- AgSafeBC
In addition, there are many Canadian and BC government organizations involved in labour, including:
1) Federal and Provincial government
- Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), TFW Program policy, operations, and inspection services,
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), TFW work visas
- Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), TFW entry
- BC Ministry of Labour, Employment Standards Branch/TFW Employer and Recruiter Registry
- WorksafeBC
- BC Ministry of Agriculture, Labour Unit
- BC Ministry of Health (workcamp housing and communicable disease)
2) Regional government regulators: health, building and fire safety.
3) Foreign governments are also involved in the TFW programs
- Foreign Ministry’s of Labour (Mexico and 11 Caribbean countries)
- Mexico Vancouver Consulate
- Caribbean Liaison Services (4)
- Foreign recruiters for TFW - Ag Stream (not a government agency, but regulated by federal and provincial governments)
Although the number and relationships is complex, the TFW program has operated for over 60 years in Canada and has a demonstrated track record of providing essential workers for the horticultural sector. The TFW programs continue to evolve as conditions change.
In the Labour Framework developed by the BCFGA (with the able assistance by Reg Ens, General Manager of WALI) and presented to the BCMAFF Tree Fruit Stabilization Initiative Advisory Committee on January 20, there are 24 recommendations for action. The recommended action #17 will be a priority for the BCFGA:
A study of the US H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program transfer process between primary and secondary farm employers will be studied and possibly development of a pilot program for the benefit of farms that are not large enough to participate in the current SAWP program.
At the same time, the BCFGA will work on and support the other actions, under the new umbrella of the WALI Okanagan Labour Committee.
In summary, the BCFGA and other agricultural organizations continue to place a priority on labour - improving training and safety, better anticipating labour demand, encouraging labour efficiency and automation, looking to slow the decline in the supply of domestic (Canadian) workers, and seeking to increase the supply of foreign workers in all streams.
Together, the many organizations involved are effective and work to ensure security of the food supply through a robust set of actions to improve the agriculture labour supply.
