Lengthy road to recovery lies ahead for Sumas Prairie blueberry farmers
For blueberry farmers in Abbotsford’s Sumas Prairie, decades of hard work were washed away with one fatal blow from Mother Nature.
"They spent their lives working on it; they lost their houses, and now their livelihoods,” said Jason Smith, chair of the B.C. Blueberry Council. Smith is also the owner and operator of Fraser Berry Farms in Abbotsford.
Smith says his Matsqui property, north of Sumas Prairie, avoided major damage during the atmospheric river that pounded down on the Fraser Valley in mid-November. However, he says he won’t walk away unscathed.
“I had about three feet of water in the fields for about five days,” Smith said. “I’m concerned with all the extra things I’m going to have to do because of how long the roots were under water.”
Smith says a pricey rebuild lies ahead, but it’s nothing compared to his fellow growers down the road in Sumas Prairie.
“Some guys still have five, six feet of water in their fields,” he said.
Smith says the blueberry industry as a whole in B.C. won’t suffer much, as the region only accounts for a small percentage of overall production, but for those affected, a full rebuild is far from a sure thing.
“I can’t see how those plants will ever recover fully,” he said. "If we’re talking long-term, it’s two years to get plants, you're looking at another eight-plus years to hit maturity to get back to where they were."
“Are you going to risk five years trying to recover those plants to get them back to half of what they were?”
Smith estimates the areas that were significantly impacted by the floods account for between five and nine per cent of the industry in B.C.
“The majority of the industry is ok,” he said. “That being said, there’s a lot of growers that have been seriously impacted, and they can’t be forgotten, because none of this is their fault.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.