B.C. minister, TransLink to face stranded farmers in crisis on Delta’s Westham Island

TransLink and the B.C. government will face questions Tuesday at a public meeting on the status of the Westham Island Bridge.

It’s been one week since the operators of a barge struck and damaged the island’s only bridge and road access.

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Delta Mayor George Harvie described the incident as a “significant strike through a barge of significant size.”

With the extent of the damage unknown, TransLink — which manages the bridge — hasn’t allowed vehicle traffic across it since.

The transportation agency is set to host an open house meeting at a farm on the island around 4 p.m.

B.C. Agriculture and Food Minister Lana Popham tells 1130 NewsRadio she’ll attend the meeting to hear from the community and advocate on behalf of farmers through what she calls a “crisis.”

“Westham Island is home to significant agricultural businesses that make important contributions to our provincial food security and food economy. This is an extremely challenging time for farmers on the island. I am in daily contact with many of them, and I travelled to Westham Island last week to meet farmers in person and better understand,” Popham said in a statement.

She says the province is working with the City of Delta and TransLink to find solutions.

Cory Gerrard, manager of Westham Island’s Rod Swenson Farms, says solutions can’t come soon enough.

“Delta has secured some barges in order to transport some product off the island, which has been good. However, the amount of product that needs to come off the island, I just don’t think it’s feasible to do it in a timely manner. Like this is obviously all perishable product. And time is of the essence to get it off,” Gerrard explained.

He says the farm has already lost “substantial” time, moving three loads over the course of the week — the equivalent of a single day’s loads when the bridge is operating.

Gerrard says logistics have been challenging, forcing him to call in favours from friends to help transport his products. He also learned there would be no suitable barge available to him Tuesday.

He says the provincial government needs to step up.

“There’s just not enough money in the municipal government to help us. There are seven or eight fully operating farms down on the island that, if something doesn’t get done here quickly, we’re all going to be, I would think, broke.”

Without a new solution in the next three weeks, Gerrard says he can’t imagine how farms will manage to move the supplies and equipment required to plant next year’s crops either.

“If the bridge isn’t fixed or [we’re not given] a replacement or something… we can’t financially survive another year. No way,” said Gerrard.

“There is no future. We’re done.”

As a seed producer, resident farmer Derek Mitchell says his farm failing to fulfill orders will have knock-on effects for farms across the Pacific Northwest and California.

Mitchell says he hasn’t heard any representatives of the provincial government address the situation.

“Maybe they will when people are going to be buying a $5 potato in the grocery store.”

He says his farm, too, hangs in the balance.

“We’ll ship our seed to the dump, I guess, and just compost it, because there’s no sense in paying. And then that will be it for this farm,” said Mitchell.

“I know that. We won’t ever grow. We won’t be able to afford to grow again.”

Gerrard says Westham Island is home to multiple farms that have operated for nearly 100 years, producing masses of food, and holding deep sentimental value to the residents.

With his experience in marine traffic as a former commercial fisherman, Gerrard says he can’t imagine how the barge was allowed to attempt passing through the bridge.

“I just don’t understand how anyone would think it’s possible to do that. And to know the risks of basically smashing that bridge down: It’s — you’re ruining families is what happened.”

Facing their own tight timelines, Mitchell says farmers need to know the government’s timeline for a solution.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, he said, “Just some answers would be good.”