Help Wanted in the Okanagan

The issue was that we couldn’t afford to just come back and hope one of us would get a good job.

Brandie Gariepy

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Welcome to Shangri-flawed

With help wanted signs sprouting like roadside weeds, it’s not surprising that Okanagan employers are struggling to cope. But just when you’d expect job seekers to be sitting in the driver’s seat, many wannabe workers are getting a bumpy ride. High housing costs and stagnant wages are obvious culprits, but the following three case studies, along with our salary comparisons, reveal there’s more to this picture.

Illustration by Will Enns

Read more of the original stories celebrated in our 30th-anniversary issue.

Addiction

Addiction

<H3>As seen in</h3> [downloads ids="146749" columns="1" excerpt="no"][downloads category="current-issue" columns="1" excerpt="no"] The clean-cut young man doesn’t look up from his seat in the waiting room at Crossroads Treatment Centre in...

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Okanagan types, tips & secret bits

Okanagan types, tips & secret bits

Sure, the Okanagan’s got unique places to explore and activities to try. But even more fascinating about this landscape are the regular folks — the ordinary, extraordinary people you walk by every day. The ones I found are happy to tell you why they’re here, and about the places and spaces they occupy in the Okanagan.

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Driving the Tourism Biz

Driving the Tourism Biz

For Glenn Mandziuk the possibility of any career outside of tourism and economic development was a non-starter. He was literally born into the profession and has used everything he’s learned to make a name for himself and, more importantly, the organizations he’s led.

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Le Vieux Pin Winemaker Severine Pinte

Le Vieux Pin Winemaker Severine Pinte

Relocating to the South Okanagan from the south of France has been overwhelmingly positive for Severine Pinte. Arriving at Le Vieux Pin in August 2010, she has taken over with gusto as head winemaker at the 3,500-case a year operation on Black Sage Road near Oliver.

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Jim Meiklejohn

Jim Meiklejohn

Behind the development scene there are architects. The Meiklejohn family has been leaving its mark on the Okanagan skyline since 1953.

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Art in the open

Art in the open

I’m sitting on a local piece of public art. Don’t try and guess which one just yet, as you can see I’ve taken special care to distort its silhouette by lying awkwardly across it as if I was a bikini clad barista on a break at hot sands beach. I’m performing…

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About The Author


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Laurie Carter

This grandma wears hiking boots (and other fetching footwear) in search of cultural, culinary and eco-adventure. Award-winning writer, photographer and author of the popular Grandma Wears Hiking Boots guide to the Okanagan Valley, Laurie proudly serves as senior editor of Okanagan Life magazine.