PENDER ISLAND – Residents of the Southern Gulf Islands are sharing photos of newly arrived Roosevelt elk in the last few weeks on social media, creating quite a stir after an absence of decades. Translocation of elk from areas of high population to low population have been part of the provincial government’s elk management plan …
New chair appointed to land commission
VICTORIA – The outgoing chair of the Agricultural Land Commission believes it’s in good hands as the province prepares to receive recommendations for its revitalization. The province appointed Frank Leonard chair of the commission in 2015 following the abrupt termination of Richard Bullock. Leonard’s completed his three-year term and his appointment was not renewed. “I …
Minimum wage hike squeezes farm margins
DELTA – Growers are taking a closer look at pay structures as minimum wage hikes take effect this month. As promised during last spring’s election campaign, the BC NDP plan to raise the minimum wage to $15.20 an hour over the next four years. The first of four minimum wage increases took effect June 1, …
Wildfire, flood review has First Nations focus
KAMLOOPS – A report on the BC government’s response to the natural disasters that roiled the province in 2017 says those who know the land should have a greater role in future preparations for what it calls “the new normal.” Those people are first and foremost the province’s First Nations, who figure in almost all …
Hops revival gains traction with feds
CHILLIWACK – Fifty years ago, hops were a common sight across the central and eastern Fraser Valley with thousands of acres in production. About 20 years ago, the local industry ceased to exist as major brewers switched to lower-cost hops from the Yakima Valley. In the past few years, however, hop production has returned to …
Farmers’ markets focus on cultivating trust
VICTORIA – Consumers look to farmers’ markets as a trusted source of wholesome local produce. But as an undercover investigation in Ontario last year discovered, not all vendors are honest about their sources. Sometimes, what they claim to grow is from a wholesaler, a phenomenon not unknown at some markets in BC. The issue came …