Following a frightening incident for a West Kelowna woman and her children last summer, West Kelowna council has moved to address the issue of temporary agricultural worker housing.

Council has directed city staff to start drafting zoning bylaw amendments to deal with the issue after a female farm worker, believed to be high on drugs, pushed her way into the woman91裸聊视频檚 Scharf Road home and was later apprehended by police hiding in a shed on the property,

In August, the husband of the woman who had to fend off the intruder for him and his neighbours, long frustrated by the situation, and for the workers, who he said are being forced to squalid and unsafe conditions.

Collin Crabbe showed council photos of run down accommodations, outside toilets, and other appalling living conditions he said the foreign farm workers are being subjected to on a farm near his home. He also alleged exploitation of the farm workers and an increase in crime in the neighbourhood.

91裸聊视频淪omething needs to be done,91裸聊视频� said Crabbe, who said his wife had to hide their children in a bedroom while she fought off the female intruder, before the woman fled the house. The intruder was later identified as a temporary worker at the nearby farm and was believed to be high on drugs at the time of the incident.

Last year a petition signed by 70 people in Crabbe91裸聊视频檚 neighbourhood asked council to take action on the sub-standard farm worker housing.

In directing staff to act, council expressed concerns about ongoing alleged criminal activity and bylaw infractions related to the inadequate housing on the Scharf Road farm. In response, staff provided a report with options for council to consider to help address the concerns.

Council has now asked staff to:

91裸聊视频� Investigate further regulations in the zoning bylaw for the use of tents and recreational vehicles as acceptable forms of temporary agricultural worker dwellings.

91裸聊视频� Require that all agricultural worker dwellings have hygienic washroom and bathing facilities.

91裸聊视频� Require that all agricultural worker dwellings follow occupant loads in the British Columbia Building Code and gather input from the industry on that point.

91裸聊视频� Investigate further mechanisms for proponents of temporary agricultural worker dwellings to notify the city of their intent to operate.

91裸聊视频� Investigate the possibility of requiring business licenses for the operation of agricultural worker dwellings and increasing the fine for a contravention of the bylaw.

91裸聊视频� Investigate a council policy for statutory declarations and/or restrictive covenants associated with temporary agricultural workers.

City staff also plan to consult with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agricultural Advisory Commission and the local agricultural industry when drafting new regulations.

Public consultation will also be undertaken.

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