The Okanagan is a long way from Northern Alberta, but an estimated 5,000 workers live in the Valley and commute to the oil fields

March’s budget set aside $582 million over the next two years to add five weeks of regular benefits to workers in the 12 regions, effective this July, but retroactive to January 2015.

Long-tenured workers in the 12 regions could receive an extra 20 weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 70 weeks.

The 12 regions qualified by meeting a complicated criteria by having unemployment rates at least two per cent higher over three consecutive months between July 2015 and March 2016 based on a baseline rate of the lowest jobless rate between December 2014 and February 2015.

In the larger Thompson Okanagan, the April jobless rate was 8.6 per cent, up from 7.4 per cent a year earlier.

For comparison purposes, the unemployment rates in Vancouver and Victoria, which don’t qualify for extended EI, were six and 6.6 per cent respectively.

A booming economy and high unemployment.