February 27, 2021 - 6:00 PM With commercial flights cancelled between Mexico and Canada, Okanagan fruit growers are having to pay higher charter air fares and take the risk of the workers not being able to fly because of COVID-19. As with all air travellers, Mexican farm workers have to show they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their flights. “With that, we have seen some challenges,” Veronica Moreno, program manager with the Western Agriculture Labour Initiative, told a recent B.C. Cherry Association meeting. “What we’ve noticed in the past charter flights is a lot of the workers are testing positive. That is obviously an impediment for workers to travel to Canada. If, unfortunately, that worker doesn’t show up to the airport you will lose that space and that money is non-refundable.”