Foreign temporary worker claw backs hampers record Okanagan cherry season
As politicians lob criticisms toward the temporary foreign worker program that fills open Canadian jobs, Okanagan orchardists would like more workers.
When orchards across the region surpassed already-high expectations for this years crop, some of the fruit has been left to spoil on the tree.
"We saw anywhere between 10 to 30 per cent of fruit being left on the trees this year because farmers had to make a choice ... They had to make decisions on abandoning fruit because they just couldn't pick it all," said Adrian Arts, BC Fruit Growers' Association executive director.
The cherry crop in particular was forecast to potentially be record-breaking. Arts said many orchardists were expecting the harvest to be roughly 30 per cent higher than expected. Although all the numbers aren't in yet, he's certain it was the most successful year yet for Okanagan cherries, coming after a series of difficult years
"We had such a labour crisis this year... that 30 per cent extra, a lot was left on the trees," Arts said. "We didn't have the hands to pick it."
The federal government started capping the temporary foreign workers it would allow in the country last year after years of steady growth since 2017, not only in agriculture. It also began cracking down more strongly on employers breaking the rules.
There's no question Okanagan farmers need temporary foreign workers and while the recent criticism from both sides of the political aisle in BC notes the demand for farm workers, Arts said it gets lost in the fervour.
BC saw 37 per cent fewer foreign worker approvals in the first three months of 2025, but how many of those are within the agricultural sector isn't clear.
Premier David Eby recently called out specific restaurants for skirting the rules to hire foreign workers instead of Canadians, while BC Conservatives are calling for provinces to take more control of the federal program.
Before resorting to out-of-country workers, employers have to prove Canadians can't fill the position, but that's not difficult in agriculture.
"Locals don't want to pick fruit, and I don't know how to say that politely," Arts said. "I often see this back-and-forth on social media about how 'all these Mexicans are taking our jobs.'"
He has convinced some locals to take up offers to test the job, but it doesn't last.
"Often, they last less than a day... We're always going to have labour problems because it's such demanding work," he said.
While the high cost of running a farm is a barrier, and local red tape gets in the way of key amenities like worker housing, foreign workers are crucial for the success of Okanagan farms, Arts said.
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