Migrant Workers Centre. 302-119 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC., V6B 1S5

August 11, 2026

Migrant Workers Centre Demands Emergency Protections for Migrant Workers Displaced by Okanagan Wildfire

Vancouver – The Migrant Workers Centre (MWC) is calling on the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to protect migrant workers displaced and endangered by the Bald Range wildfire burning near Summerland, in the Okanagan Valley. First reported the evening of August 7, 2026, the fire has grown to more than 17,800 hectares (178 square kilometres), forced over 20,000 people from Summerland, Peachland, and surrounding communities to evacuate, and led the Province to declare a provincial state of emergency. The fire has been linked to one death, and Highway 97 remains closed between Penticton and Peachland.

Migrant agricultural workers were among those caught directly in the fire’s path. CBC News reported that a crew of temporary foreign worker cherry pickers working an orchard in Meadow Valley, northwest of Summerland, had to be airlifted to safety after the fire cut off their only route out of the area — among at least 55 people rescued by helicopter after being trapped by the flames.

“Migrant workers who are cut off from an evacuation route don’t get the same choice as everyone else about when to leave,” said Lorena Ordoñez, MWC’s Legal Director. “Because their work permits tie them to a single employer, many migrant workers wait for direction from that employer before they feel they can leave a worksite, even as a wildfire closes in. Government needs to make sure that migrant workers can get out safely, get information they can understand, and keep earning a living if their workplace is no longer safe.”

Hired under employer-specific work permits, Migrant Workers who have been displaced due to the fires encounter significant obstacles in seeking alternative employment on different farms or in other workplaces. Emergency open work permits would enable Migrant Workers to secure alternative employment in Canada and continue earning wages.

“Migrant justice advocates have long advocated for the federal government to end the practice of issuing employer-specific work permits to Migrant Workers as they place workers in a uniquely vulnerable situation whereby their immigration status in Canada is tied to their employer, making it difficult to refuse unsafe working conditions or leave situations of abuse,” said Ingrid Mendez, Executive Director for Migrant Workers Centre.

MWC is calling on the Government of Canada to:

1. Immediately Issue Emergency Open Work Permits: MWC is calling on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, under Minister Lena Diab, to issue emergency open work permits — without an application fee or a new Labour Market Impact Assessment — to migrant workers displaced by the Bald Range wildfire and other active B.C. wildfires, so they can seek alternative work while their usual workplace is closed.
2. Expand Access to Employment Insurance: This includes relaxing minimum insurable-hour requirements where an evacuation has disrupted a worker’s ability to accumulate them, ensuring workers are not left without income during this emergency. This also includes allowing workers to access coverage even if they are forced to leave the country due to this emergency.

MWC is calling on the Government of British Columbia to:

1. Ensure Equitable Access to Emergency Information: The Province should ensure migrant and temporary foreign workers receive evacuation orders, alerts, and information about Emergency Support Services in a language they understand, regardless of immigration status.
2. Conduct Compliance Checks on Farms: The Province should direct WorkSafeBC to conduct compliance checks on Okanagan agricultural operations in evacuation order and alert zones, to confirm employers are complying with evacuation orders and protecting workers from wildfire smoke exposure.

MWC also extends its gratitude for the support of emergency response teams, the rapid coordination and response from different institutions such as the Mexican consulate, BC Federation of Labour, Migrant Rights Network, MOSAIC, Kelowna Community Resources, the United Way, regional immigration services providers, and first responders working to protect Okanagan communities, including the crews deployed this week from Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand to join BC Wildfire Service personnel and colleagues from Alberta, Quebec, and the Yukon.

Implementing these measures to mitigate the impacts of the wildfires in British Columbia on Migrant Workers is simply the right thing to do, and its positive outcomes will have a spillover positive impact on the Canadian economy.

For more information, please contact MWC’s Legal Director, Jonathon Braun, at 604-446-2561 or jon@mwcbc.ca.