CPS Regional Groups & Societies

British Columbia Regional Group

Regional Representative:
Jesse MacDonald
Knowledge and Technology Transfer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Summerland, BC

Contact: jesse.macdonald@agr.gc.ca


CPS-BC Regional Meetings

The 2024 CPS-BC Regional meeting was held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.


CPS-BC Regional Meeting 2016
October 27 – 28, 2016

The CPS-BC Regional meeting will be held at the Summerland Research and Development Centre, Summerland, BC. The registration fee for the meeting includes morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch and dinner on October 27th. The talks will take place at the Summerland Research and Development Centre, and the dinner will be served at the Penticton Lakeside Resort located at 21 Lakeshore drive W in Penticton. A detailed meeting agenda will be sent out once all presenters have registered.

For more information see the links below:

CPS-BC 2016 Registration Form

CPS-BC 2016 Presentation & Abstract Submission Form


CPS-BC Regional Meeting 2015
October 21st, 2015

The 2015 CPS-BC Regional meeting was held at the Sandman Hotel, Abbotsford, B.C.


CPS-BC Regional Meeting Report 2014

The CPS-BC Regional meeting was held on November 12, 2014, at the Simon Fraser University, Surrey Campus in Surrey, B.C.  The meeting was organized and hosted by the local arrangements committee led by Dr. Zamir Punja from Simon Fraser University.  The meeting was attended by a total of 36 participants, including students, researchers and industry.  The agenda captured a wide range of Phytopathological topics in Agriculture and Forestry.

Following registration and welcome remarks, the formal part of the program started with a mini symposium on an overview of the medicinal marijuana (Cannabis sativa) industry covering aspects on plant production, regulations, pests, diseases and more. The information was presented by personnel from Agrima Botanicals located in Maple Ridge, BC. In addition to this, there were a total of six oral presentations and eleven poster presentations. Topics covered epidemiology, fungicide or biocide efficacy trial results, disease management issues and tools, and an update on emerging plant disease issues in B.C.  The best poster presentation award was presented to R.L. Wallace (University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, B.C.) for a presentation on ‘Biological control of postharvest disease in two varieties of British Columbia apples using Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates’.  Second place recipient for the poster presentation was T.T. Watson (University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, B.C.) for the poster on – ‘Alternative management of root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus penetrans) and Cylindocarpon/Ilyonectria spp. impacting apple and sweet cherry during replant establishment’.  The formal part of the meeting was followed by a nice dinner and awards presentations. Poster presentation awards were presented by the CPS Past President, Dr. Janice Elmhirst.

Vippen Joshi, CPS-BC regional representative conducted the business meeting.  Vippen presented the treasurer’s report prepared by Rona N. Sturrock.

The 2015 Western Forum meeting is planned to occur in Abbotsford, B.C.   The 2015 CPS–BC Regional meeting could occur right before or after the Western Forum meeting to be held in October, 2015 in Abbotsford. The BC Ministry of Agriculture staff have undertaken the task to organize it.

Thanks to the local arrangements committee (Zamir Punja, Andrew C. Wylie, and associates) who put together an impressive program in a very spacious meeting room followed by a delicious dinner, and to Maria Jeffries for taking minutes for the business meeting.

Respectfully submitted by:

Vippen Joshi, CPS-BC Regional Representative