RDOS collaborating with Okanagan Correctional Centre

News Article

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) with support from the Province of B.C., is improving camping accommodations for agriculture workers in the region. The RDOS is working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries to provide campsite upgrades at Secrest Hill Agriculture Worker’s Campsite (formerly Loose Bay Campground). The RDOS assumed management of the campsite, located in Electoral Area C (Rural Oliver), in 2021. 

Following discussions with BC Corrections’ Okanagan Correctional Centre (OCC), a partnership was established to build and deliver 50 picnic tables for individual campsites. Thanks to funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, the RDOS purchased and provided the building materials and OCC staff and individuals in custody took care of the rest. The $457,000 funding was allocated to campground upgrades, washroom facilities, road resurfacing, fencing, camp host site improvements, and various campground amenities such as cook areas, off-leash area, and new picnic tables. 

“The new picnic tables are durable and functional,” says RDOS Chair Mark Pendergraft. “Many agriculture workers arrive with very little, so having a table to organize their cooking supplies and enjoy a meal can make all the difference to their comfort level.” 

“Partnerships like this are good for all of us,” says Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. “Building these tables provides another avenue for individuals in custody to give back while developing new skills for their future, and helps improve quality of life for the many agricultural workers that spend time at Secrest Hill. We know how important these workers are to our region and to our farms: projects like this make a difference both within the correctional centre community and in the community at large.” 

Secrest Hill Agriculture Worker’s Campsite has 125 individual camping spaces and is one of the largest agriculture worker’s campsites in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. Campers at Secrest Hill are employed at a variety of agricultural operations in the region, including vineyards and farms producing wine, fruit, vegetable, cannabis, and mushrooms. 

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Mark Pendergraft, Chair
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen 

Contacts:

Justin Shuttleworth
RDOS Parks and Facilities Manager
250-490-4136

Erick Thompson

Andrea Rendall

 

RDOS Toll Free

RDOS Communications                 

RDOS Communications

 

1-877-610-3737

250-490-4211    

250-490-4147

 

 

Picnic tables built by OCC

Picnic tables built by BC Corrections' Okanagan Correctional Centre (OCC)

 

 

Secrest Hill Campsite

Secrest Hill Agriculture Worker’s Campsite - Oliver, BC

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