Most of the farmers affected by the Fraser Valley flooding in November 2021 have received some or all of the compensation from the provincial government, according to Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food. Some complex cases have slowed some application processes down, but the ministry is committed to working and helping the Fraser Valley through the complications, she adds.

“The applications that have not received compensation are likely to have another visit by the ministry to gather information to make sure that compensation is possible,” Alexis says, adding that the federal government has been committed since the beginning of the flood recovery.

The new Minister of Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma, alongside Alexis,  is currently working on the list of priority infrastructure projects submitted by the City of Abbotsford to protect the community and the farmlands that need to be protected.

“There is a federal and provincial committee that’s looking at this, and has done right since the very beginning,” Alexis said. “I expect there will be some news shortly on what is going to be tackled first.”

Alexis urges farmers to continue to grow and take the proper support to protect their farms and to reach out to the ministry on how to protect their crops. Her mandate from the premier has been clear on growing BC’s local food production, and the ministry is looking for new ways to increase support for farmers to produce and safely produce during climate change.

Listen to the Pam Alexis’ first radio interview with CIVL here: