OSOYOOS TIMES-July 28, 2010
Most people heading to other parts of the country looking for work would likely not expect prospective employers to have long-term accommodations waiting for them when they arrive.
If a student who just graduated from a B.C. university with a business degree went to Toronto to find work at a bank, was hired and then asked his employer where the bank was going to put him up, the student would in all likelihood get laughed at.
So, it’s understandable to question why we here in Osoyoos need to burden ourselves about finding places for seasonal agricultural workers to sleep and wash during the spring, summer and fall.
Every year, some cry out that the Town of Osoyoos needs to do something about the transients camping in the hills near Strawberry Creek.
Others say the orchardists and farmers are the ones who need to solve the problem.
And, in reality, if the orchardists do need these workers to bring in the harvest, the responsibility should fall on their shoulders more than anyone else.
But the issue isn’t really about who should provide accommodations and basic services such as showers and washrooms for the workers because, again, how often does any employer take on the responsibility of finding its workforce places to stay?
Much of the problem centres on an even broader challenge the area faces: a lack of affordable accommodations for workers of all backgrounds.
If there were campgrounds or hostels in town where the agricultural workers could stay for a reasonable nightly, weekly or monthly fee, would they still resort to hanging out in the hills where they have no access to water and must travel long distances to reach services in town or their places of accommodation?
Some might, but it seems reasonable that most would take the opportunity to stay in a place where they could take a shower or walk to their job if the price is right.
When it comes down to it, is the lack of affordable accommodations for agricultural workers any different than the lack of affordable housing for young professionals or people working in the tourism industry?
Some of the resorts, hotels and businesses in Osoyoos have been forced to find places for their workers to stay during the summer because of this very problem.
If this community is going to do something about the seasonal worker problem in the area, then the first step shouldn’t be narrowly focused on just establishing some place for them to stay.
The first step should be about fixing Osoyoos’s ongoing deficiency for affordable accommodations.
A great deal of time has been spent setting up task forces and creating a strategy to deal with the issue.
The ongoing problem with seasonal workers should be the catalyst to put recent efforts to find solutions to the affordable accommodations issue into action.
