Time for change in thinking on temporary farm worker housing, Kelowna council says

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – The four Central Okanagan municipalities and the regional district are moving to harmonize their policy and regulations on temporary farm worker housing.

But some Kelowna councillors are openly questioning the effect the policies have on the workers themselves, requiring them to live in temporary quarters in rural areas and walk long distances to access services.

“You see the Jamaican workers all the time, walking down Glenmore to the IGA,” Coun. Mohini Singh said.

Currently, all applications for the installation of temporary farm worker housing must be presented for approval by council before they are submitted to the Agricultural Land Commission.

Housing applications are considered an allowable non-farm use by the commission, however the housing must still meet the requirements of Kelowna’s zoning bylaw.

The agriculture ministry requires the housing be temporary such as a mobile home or trailer or within an existing dwelling or building on the farm.

However, in one recent case, the farm operators without plans or permit had already poured the foundation for a new permanent structure before the city caught wind and forced them to stop.

Rural planning manager Todd Cashin told councillors the harmonization of local policy and regulations will help stop “hopscotching” where farm owners move their housing faciliites to the municipality with the most favourable rules.

Coun. Luke Stack said council is “falling into a trap” by considering accommodation applications individually and agreed with several other councilllors the agriculture ministry needs to rethink their whole approach toward temporary housing.

“That’s the level of policy discussion that needs to take place,” Stack added.

Coun. Gail Given said extended growing seasons means some farms and orchards are operating temporary housing nine months of the year, bringing in different groups of workers (who are only allowed to be here for six months) to cover different aspects of planting and harvest.

She said some of the larger accommodations are neighbourhoods in their own right, which means they should ideally be nearer to amenities and public transportation.

“We would never put new development out in a rural area,” she said.

Given also called for an inventory of temporary accommodation to be compared to the number of temporary farm workers licensed to work in the Central Okanagan.


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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca