To the Editor:

I watch in amazement as the government plays the violin while Rome burns.

Even if the situation does not fall under the Emergency Measures Act, it is still an emergency situation that requires immediate action.

Now is the time: if ever there was a time for a government to take extraordinary measures.

The problem with extraordinary measures is that such measures often violate the principles of democracy, but they exist and they can be invoked in many ways.

I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering whether the three main political forces can even get up from their “we’re better than the others” perch long enough to do what is immediately necessary to get this year’s fruit crop under control. Plums, pears and apples are the main products of many farms.

Personally, I would have the utmost respect for any political entity acting for the common good in this case.

BC Tree Fruits’ facilities are the only ones that can handle the enormous volume of product.

To achieve this, a government would have to immediately enact laws regulating the operation and management of a private company. This may not be as daunting as one might think, for several reasons.

First, the board of BC Tree Fruits has filed for bankruptcy without the knowledge or notice of the growers, who are shareholders and in fact owners of BC Tree Fruits. While this may be technically permissible, it may also provide an opportunity to temporarily undertake reorganization measures.

Second, I believe a quick meeting with shareholders/owners would demonstrate the majority support needed to give these temporary measures a chance of success. As an added bonus, the new apple line could be put into operation, which would significantly increase its value.

From here, the respective government would have to decide in the future whether a serious buyer can be found or whether a state-owned company can be founded.

In any case, there would be major discussions with the shareholders/owners.

To resolve this, many of the laid off employees, both union members and employees, would need to return to work. This would be perhaps the most difficult aspect as these employees were not treated well. They were laid off without warning and most never received industry standard wages. This would need to be thoroughly thought through and the terms and conditions set for the future.

Difficult discussions indeed.

It will take more courage from the respective governments to take action to solve the problem than to repeat over and over again: “This is a private cooperative. There is nothing we can do about it.”

In addition, an enormous amount of trust is required on the part of the opposition parties to work for the good of the province and not to exploit the issue politically until a solution is found.

I guess we’ll see what our politicians are made of.

An interesting place just before an election.

Rick Knodel
RDOS Division Manager “C”