A Kelowna resident named Alexandra Wright has expressed dissatisfaction with the $78,368 fine issued to nearby fruit packing company Sandher Fruit Packers for illegally discharging wastewater into a ditch. Wright believes the fine was too lenient and described it as “a slap on the wrist.” This fine was issued by the Ministry of Environment, which classified the contravention as “major” due to previous warnings and fines dating back to 2017. In addition to the recent fine, Sandher Fruit Packers was fined $32,000 in 2022 for similar violations.
The Ministry of Environment stated in an 11-page decision that discharging into the environment without authorization undermines the regulator regime’s integrity and hampers the Ministry’s ability to protect the environment. Sandher Fruit Packers had requested the ministry not impose a fine, claiming they were working towards compliance and proposed setting benchmarks to achieve full compliance. However, the ministry disagreed, stating that the fine must serve as a deterrent for the contraventions that had already occurred. Compliance and enforcement staff continue to monitor Sandher closely.
A community meeting was held by Wright on her property near Sandher Fruit Packers in response to the noticeable stench emanating from the fruit packing plant. Over 100 people attended the meeting, expressing concerns about the impact of the effluent discharge on Mill Creek, Simpsons Pond, and eventually, Okanagan Lake. Wright criticized the government agencies for not taking action to prevent contamination, despite being aware of the violations for seven years. The company, Sandher Fruit Packers, has not responded to media inquiries, though they have published updates on their website, promising to work on a permanent solution.
Despite acknowledging past mistakes, company president Gurtaj Sandher assured customers and neighbors that Sandher Fruit Packers is actively working on a permanent solution to the effluent discharge issue. The company has applied for an effluent discharge application, which has sparked a petition with over 1,600 signatures urging the Ministry of Environment to reject it. Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick presented the petition in the provincial legislature, highlighting community concerns about the continued discharge of effluent. More information about the fines and petitions related to Sandher Fruit Packers is available online. The company’s efforts to address the issue and the community’s pushback demonstrate ongoing tensions surrounding environmental compliance and regulation in the Central Okanagan region.
