Tag Archives: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Fruit pickers in B.C. may be denied minimum wage

Large red apple on a tree against a sunny backdrop
iStock Mikola249

British Columbia is well-known for its abundant blueberries, apples and cherries. But many workers who pick these crops are paid a “piece-rate” wage that can promote an unsafe pace of work and may even be less than minimum wage.

Anelyse Weiler, one of the PhD candidates I supervise, recently penned an op-ed about the implications of the piece-rate wage with Mark Thompson (UBC Professor Emeritus) and David Fairey (Co-Chair of the BC Employment Standards Coalition). They call on the provincial government to implement the recommendations of the Fair Wages Commission and ensure that all workers receive at least minimum wage. This builds on a related op-ed Fairey and Weiler wrote for the Vancouver Sun on May Day.

Their op-ed was published in the Penticton Herald and Kelowna Courier, and was also on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC blog.

Anelyse Weiler co-authors article on migrant farm workers and food security

Anelyse Weiler. Photo Credit: Mike Benusic
Photo: Mike Benusic

Anelyse Weiler, one of the PhD candidates I’m supervising, is the lead author of a new article in International Migration: “Food Security at Whose Expense? A Critique of the Canadian Temporary Farm Labour Migration Regime and Proposals for Change.” Co-authored by Janet McLaughlin and Donald Cole , the article focuses on linkages between food security, food sovereignty, and Canada’s migrant farm worker regime. One of their core arguments is that pitting food security for Canadians against the rights of migrant farm workers is a false moral choice. They propose a range of policy options to advance dignity alongside migrant farm workers. These include granting migrant farm workers full immigration status on arrival, supporting worker-owned farms, and rethinking regulations that underpin concentrated corporate power in the food system.

Anelyse is currently conducting her dissertation fieldwork in BC and Washington state. Last year, the BC Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives acknowledged her efforts to inform more just and sustainable food systems through the Power of Youth Leadership Award for Research, Analysis and Solutions.