The City of Kelowna remains committed to supporting Okanagan growers following the collapse of the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative (BCTFC).

The city recently reached an agreement with Sandher Fruit Packers to assist growers in getting their produce to market, which was previously the role of the BCTFC.

On Aug. 5 it was reported that G.P. Sandher Holdings Ltd., which represents Sandher Fruit Packers, was fined more than $40,000  by WorkSafeBC for violations cited at an orchard it operates in Coldstream after an inspection in April.

The fine will not affect the city害羞草研究所檚 agreement with Sandher Fruit Packers.

害羞草研究所淭hat is within their business,害羞草研究所� Mayor Tom Dyas told Capital News. 害羞草研究所淲ith regards to any other business operations around their facility, and fines they need to pay, I was not aware of any of those.害羞草研究所�

The mayor noted he will communicate his expectations to the company to work collectively and responsibly with existing growers and deal with any issues it may have with the province.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e just trying to find a way to help the growers, this relationship was brought forward to us, and we害羞草研究所檙e going to ask them to be respectful in advancing this on an interim basis.害羞草研究所� 

The city害羞草研究所檚 agreement with Sandher also addresses concerns regarding wastewater disposal processes at its fruit packing site on Old Vernon Road.

The company has been assessed with nearly $80,000 in administrative penalties by the province for effluent discharges. 

On July 26 the BCTFC announced that it would stop accepting produce and shut down operations, leaving growers with limited options to sell their fruit.