Response from Mike Byland / Bylands Nurseries
Thank you for the opportunity to provide a response. Here is our statement:
At Bylands, the health and safety of our community and our team has been and continues to be our top
priority. Bylands Nurseries has been participating in the established, government-led Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Program since 2004, with many of our guest workers choosing to return to work
with us year-after-year. This year has been a particularly challenging year for us, as we experienced an
outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this spring among our guest workers.
Our policies have been and continue to be guided by provincial and federal regulations. Given the
COVID-19 pandemic, we have followed the advice of the provincial Public Health Order (PHO) for
Agriculture, which includes specific policies related to employees who live in shared company
accommodations to limit the transmission of COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, we have done
everything we can to support guest workers living in company accommodation by ensuring they have
access to services for their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. This includes providing clean
living quarters that allow workers to safely isolate, grocery services, a safe work environment (including
providing personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, hand washing stations/sanitizers,
and daily health checks), safe transportation, on-site physiotherapy services, support for online banking
and money transfers, and transportation to any personal medical appointments. We also have a
bilingual guest worker liaison full-time on staff to ensure their needs are met.
With respect to the individuals in question, Bylands Nurseries discontinued these individuals'
employment following multiple instances where they did not adhere to workplace policies which were
set based on the PHO for Agriculture. These policies were and are in place to ensure the health and
safety of our team and community. The dismissal was due to multiple infractions, following orientation
on the workplace policies and warnings about leaving the premises and having visitors on site.
It is important to note that the recent comments provided by the Director of the TFW came nearly 2
months after the incidents in question, which occurred in late June. The Director’s email specified that
restriction was illegal unless there was a Provincial Order in place. During the incidents in question with
these two individuals, there was such a Provincial Health Order and we were adhering the guidelines of
that Order.
Thank you,
Mike