2023 June Agriculture Bus Tour

Find out what makes Abbotsford the agricultural hub of Canada!  Abbotsford farms and agri-business generate $3.83 billion in economic activity for our city and support 23% of all jobs in Abbotsford.

In the morning, guests will meet at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre and be treated to coffee & scones from Hugs in a Mug Coffee Bistro.

We will begin the tour at Barrowtown Pump Station, joined by the City of Abbotsford's Mayor Ross Siemens, who will discuss the events of the 2021 floods.

Next, the tour will visit Lakeland Flowers where guests will have the opportunity to see all the work that goes into the legendary 'Tulip Festival' after it wraps up as well as what they have coming up for the following season.

Following Lakeland Flowers, the tour will head to Aright Greentech whose mission is to provide people with locally grown, pesticide-free, culturally diverse produce with a better balance of nutrition and flavour, all year around through the use of their efficient growing systems.  

Guests will head to Taves Estate Cidery to enjoy lunch and a flight of their delicious cider. We will be joined by guest speaker Honourable Pam Alexis, who was elected as the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission in 2020. She was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food in 2022. Following the lunch, guests will take a tour of Taves Family Farm's greenhouses.

Guest Speaker:

MLA: Hon. Pam Alexis

Minister of Agriculture and Food

Abbotsford-Mission

Pam Alexis was elected the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission in 2020. She is the Minister of Agriculture and Food.

She began her career in public service in 2005 serving as a School Trustee until 2011. She served as a Mission City Councillor from 2014-18 before holding the office of Mayor from 2018-20. 

From 2014-20 she sat on the Joint Shared Services Committee, and the Fraser Valley Regional District executive committee. She worked closely with the city of Abbotsford on shared issues including water, sewer and transit and gained a greater understanding of the issues facing Abbotsford and residents east of Mission. 

Prior to politics, she served with many boards and non-profits, including the Mission Chamber of Commerce (Vice-President), the Rotary Club of Mission Midday, and the Sunshine Rotary Club, where she also served as President and earned four Paul Harris Fellowships. From 2012-2015 she was the Vice-President for the BC Winter Games.

She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria and obtained her PDP in 1982 with a focus in English and Theatre. 

Alexis taught ESL in Japan and Texas before settling in Mission in 1996. She has two grown children.