VegPro seeks approval for farm workers housing

May 27, 2021 | 5:00 AM

VegPro International in Coldstream has outgrown its on-farm housing for temporary foreign farm workers and is looking to add modular accommodation for 48 additional workers.

“We have been expanding quite rapidly since 2018, and where we are currently sitting, we have run out of space, actually in 2021. This year we have had to rent a house in Vernon to accomodate additional workers to help with our farming operation,” Jonathan Blais, VegPro Executive Director, Corporate Development and Government Affairs, told Coldstream council.

Three existing houses on the Ricardo Road property can house 28 workers.

Existing farmhouse and proposed site of modular housing (photo credit: District of Coldstream)

The farming operation, Vert Nature Inc, oversees the growing of lettuces between April to October, with the help of six full-time staff and 20-40 seasonal workers. These numbers are projected to grow dramatically in the next few years reaching more than 80 staff by 2022-2023.

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“Every year we keep trying to hire local, but there is not a sufficient labour pool to satisfy our seasonal work,” Blais said. “Given that, we applied for seasonal worker help, mostly from Mexico, to assist with that we have to provide housing for all those workers.”

Proposed modular accommodation (photo credit: Freeport Industries)

VegPro has been operation in Coldstream since September 2018, growing, harvesting, processing and packing baby leafy greens at its facility on Ricardo Road. The company plans to increase its production over the next three years until it reaches full capacity, farming approximately 550 acres of land owned in Coldstream and producing about 8.4 million pounds of product. Vegetable production is a labour intensive farming industry. It is estimated that the labour demand is one worker per 105,000 lbs of product.

The Agriculture Land Commission has given approval, with some conditions. including that the building can only be used for temporary foreign worker housing, and that if it is not utilized for two consecutive years, it must be removed from the property.

The housing, parking and septic footprint amounts to 0.4 ha.

A report to council said approving the on-farm housing will free up rental housing in Vernon and Coldstream.

Coldstream council has given first and second readings of a zoning bylaw amendment, which will trigger a public hearing.

by Kevin Rothwell

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