BC Supreme Court rejects fruit growers' compensation claim

Two Okanagan fruit growers, Sukhmander Sandhu and Surjit Singh Sandhu, sought $118,352 in compensation for a 2023 delivery of 328,045 pounds of apples to the British Columbia Tree Fruits Co‑operative (BCTFC). The co‑operative ceased operations in July 2024 and entered creditor protection, after which the growers were paid only $8,670 to $12,541 for the delivery. On July 28, BC Supreme Court Justice Gropper dismissed the claim, describing the growers' pricing arguments as “hypothetical and arbitrary” and stating that the court cannot reassess agreed‑upon pricing merely because a party is dissatisfied. Court costs were awarded to BCTFC.

The decision underscores the limits of contractual disputes in creditor‑protected agricultural co‑operatives and leaves the growers without the compensation they sought.