'It's my life's work': B.C. fruit and vegetable growers face uncertainty after floods
While their homes and farm fields remain inundated by water, Curtis Sandhu says his family is looking towards rebuilding after a dike failed and devastating flooding hit the prime agricultural area east of Vancouver nearly two weeks ago.
The flooding in the Sumas Prairie came little more than four months after a heat wave in late June “torched” their entire raspberry crop and roughly a quarter of their overall fruit and vegetable crops, Sandhu said in an interview.
Sandhu's family came to Canada in the early 1960s and began farming about a decade later. Today, the 27-year-old and his parents grow a variety of berries and vegetables across about 120 hectares, while several other relatives have farms nearby in the Abbotsford area.
“You spend 45 years building something and then to see it all go in six hours or something, it's hard to see, right?” Sandhu said. “But, you know, being an immigrant family and working for everything they had, (my dad) said, well, we're not going to go anywhere, we can't go anywhere, this is our home and we're not going to stop.”
Sandhu and his family left home last Tuesday following an evacuation order and the next day they received photos showing their almost two-metre berry plants underwater.
They wondered if their home, built on higher ground, would be all right, he said. A visit by boat last Saturday revealed more than a metre of water inside.
It was hard to see their belongings and pictures floating around when he waded in, but the visit also brought some acceptance and a resolve to move forward, Sandhu said.
Significant portions of many of the fruit and vegetable crops produced in the province are grown in the Sumas Prairie, he said. The farmers need help to clean up once the waters recede, and to repair their homes, infrastructure and soil so they can continue producing crops that feed people across the country, Sandhu added.
Close to 60 blueberry producers and 8.5 square kilometres of the berries have been affected by flooding, along with 33 hectares of raspberries that will need to be ripped out and replanted, Agriculture Minister Lana Popham told a news conference on Thursday.
About 4,000 tonnes of stored and unharvested field vegetables are likely lost, mostly from the Sumas Prairie and Fort Langley areas, with significant impacts to cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots and leeks, Popham said.
Asked about the potential for financial help, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the province is working with the federal government to determine where gaps in existing insurance, disaster and farming assistance programs must be filled.
David Gill is among the blueberry farmers whose Sumas Prairie property flooded. His fields, packaging facility, tractors and hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of high-tech equipment were submerged in more than two metres of water, he said.
“It's my life's work,” the 28-year-old said in an interview.
Gill's family has been growing blueberries since the 1990s, expanding into the packaging and marketing business to represent about 30 growers in the region.
Since the flood, those growers are concerned about whether Gill will be able to receive their fruit, package it and get it to market during next year's season, he said.
Blueberries are Canada's top fruit export by volume and value and the Abbotsford area is a “hot spot” for their production, Gill said. The berries had already “suffered tremendously” during the heat wave, which scorched almost half his crops, he said.
It can take several years to develop the right soil conditions for growing blueberries, said Gill, who's concerned about the impacts of contaminants in the floodwaters.
While vegetables can be replanted annually, blueberry plants must be nurtured over years, first becoming hardy enough to plant outside and then robust enough for harvest, said Gill, adding that new blueberry plants were already in short supply.
It typically takes at least six years to see profits after planting blueberries, he said.
“Whoever is in the prairie and is underwater, this has set them back at least a decade of hard work just in terms of getting back to the day before the flood,” he said.
“We're absolutely devastated and we need financial relief and help as soon as possible.”
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun acknowledged the challenges blueberry farmers are facing at a news conference on Friday.
“The senior levels of governments are going to have to provide financial assistance or they're finished without that. And I'm confident that the federal and provincial governments will do that,” Braun said.
Stretches of the dike that were patched up along the Sumas River were being raised Friday in anticipation of more rain expected this weekend and early next week, he said.
Like Sandhu, Gill's sights are set on rebuilding.
“I received this business from my parents and I have no plans of moving,” he said. “We're not going anywhere and we have every plan to continue expanding as well.”
Gill wants a guarantee that the federal, provincial and local governments will do everything in their power to prevent such devastating flooding in the future, he said, including fortifying dikes along with a key pump station that nearly failed in the flood.
“I want to make sure that we build back stronger and we make the Sumas Prairie a shining gem again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Questlove was not happy with Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef: 'Nobody won the war'
While some may have been excited and/or amused by the diss-track feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the man many consider to be an elder statesman of hip-hop appears less than enthused about it.
Trump heading to Jersey Shore to rally 'mega crowd' in weekend break from hush money trial
After a long week in court, Donald Trump is heading to the Jersey Shore. And his campaign says he'll be joined by "tens of thousands" of his friends.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
For moms-to-be, it's possible to take maternity leave without breaking the bank
Pregnancy is often an exciting and anxious time for parents-to-be. And while painting the nursery and choosing a stroller are typically on the agenda, experts say preparing financially for a maternity leave can help reduce stress later on as well.
Fine dining, at a new high. A Michelin-starred chef will take his cuisine to our upper atmosphere
Six guests are set to ascend aboard Spaceship Neptune to the stratosphere, where they will enjoy an immersive dining experience served up by Danish Michelin-starred chef Rasmus Munk.