I spent two rainy, cool days in Kelowna apple orchards while WorkSafeBC filmed a video on tractor safety. Although it certainly wasn’t vacation weather, we couldn’t have paid for a better soft box- those overcast skies were consistent for the entire two days. Thanks to this crew from Vancouver for including me in the shoot. It was great to watch your creative minds at work.

WorksafeBC has an impressive collection of videos focusing on safety in the workplace, from agriculture to healthcare. Some of those videos were highlighted in an article I wrote for the latest issue of WorkSafe Magazine.

Internationally, the winery is also making headlines after being approached by a Chinese wine brokerage to ship 10-20 percent of their production oversees. For the small boutique winery in Penticton, this is big news (and I’m stoked to hear my images will be on the walls of a new restaurant launching in China). But contrary to their tiny tasting room, their wines have been big news from the beginning. If you haven’t visited, go. If you haven’t tasted, do. Cheers to John, Trish and the entire Painted Rock team. Next time, I’ll plan for a longer visit. xx.

Our final shot list was vast and varied. The images include an overview of BC agriculture, proper and improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), weather, chemical storage, vehicle licensing and enforcement- these are just a few of the images. For more on this project, see previous posts hola or just smile and safe and smelly. Hola.

Summer camp is often hailed as the ultimate experience for children. For these children, the value of summer camp is more than most people can fathom.  For one week, they are in the company of other children who understand life with Type 1 diabetes.

Camp Briardale is one of 12 camps across the country organized by the Canadian Diabetes Association. This year, 80 children with Type 1 diabetes (81 including this kid) spent one week in Roseau River, Manitoba. Camp certainly isn’t a break from diabetes- unfortunately this disease doesn’t take days off- but it is an opportunity to share in the camp experience, knowing a full medical team is on site. Familiar faces from the Diabetes Education Resource for Children and Adolescents (DERCA) lead the medical team, and each cabin is assigned one cabin counselor, a medical counselor and a nutrition counselor. These children are well taken care of, but the true significance of their camp experience is not medical. Let the friendships created at Camp Briardale carry these children through the emotional burden of living with diabetes. That support will last a lifetime.    

I’ve been working on this project with WorkSafe BC and the Mexican Consulate for over a year now, and the finished product is expected to launch in the next few months. Here’s more details from a previous post on the same assignment. These images will be used for training material, which will be delivered to Mexican Immigrants prior to arriving in Canada to work in agriculture. Many of these workers have never been to Canada and aren’t familiar with the landscape, culture, agriculture and more importantly, safety procedures and regulations in this country. With over 3000 Mexican Immigrants arriving in BC annually, this project proactively addresses worker training and safety. A huge thanks to Pattie Fair from WorkSafe BC who poured her heart into this project and became a great friend in the meantime. Staff from WorkSafe BC, dignitaries from the Mexican Consulate and the many farm workers who modeled- you’ve all been an absolute pleasure to work with.