The Ontario horticulture sector has been the hardest hit of agriculture sectors by COVID-19, but it has a plan in place to help reduce risk from the virus when foreign workers arrive for 2021 planting. OMAFRA and producer groups came together to create a 35-point plan that outlines areas of responsibility and direction to help […] Read more
Tag Archives labour — page 9
Strategy created for 2021 planting worker protection
The government and industry collaborated on the detailed strategy for farm workers
Looking outside of agriculture for a future workforce
COVID-19 has shown that workers don’t have to be in offices – or rural areas — to be effective
COVID-19 could be an opportunity to bring new and diverse talent into the agriculture sector, as companies learn that geography is not a limit to many jobs. Trevor Heck, president of Syngenta Canada said during a recent panel on the future workforce in Canadian agriculture that traditionally companies have hired near their head office or […] Read more
Agriculture education evolves to fit modern needs
Colleges are offering shorter courses in regional settings to help fill the need for practical skills
Colleges are offering shorter courses in regional settings to help fill the need for practical skills
Post-secondary agriculture education in Ontario is diversifying to meet the labour and skill needs of the industry. Shorter, concentrated offerings are expected to help fill the need for more employees in agriculture. Why it matters: Agriculture education options for practical training have been limited, especially in the regions where potential farm workers live. Much has […] Read more
Conestoga College program to train farm equipment operators
The new program received funding from provincial and federal governments
A new training program for agricultural equipment operators is receiving support from the federal and provincial governments. The Conestoga College program will start as a pilot project to expand training opportunities for current farm sector employees and better prepare those interesting in careers in agriculture to work on farms. Why it matters: Farm labour is […] Read more
Ontario rural employment almost back to pre-COVID levels
Rural employment in other provinces hasn’t been as strong as it has in Ontario
Rural Ontario’s employment levels are almost back to year ago level – almost making up the unemployment created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) reports that Ontario unemployment is 0.6 per cent below levels in August 2019, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Why it matters: Rising employment is critical to […] Read more
Foreign worker shortage hits farms hardest
A report from the University of Calgary says that the 14 per cent reduction in temporary farm workers in Canada this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit farms the most. The first of two reports on the temporary foreign worker (TFW) situation from the university’s School of Public Policy, says that replacing foreign […] Read more
Ontario to insure for crop loss due to lack of labour
AgriInsurance offering hailed as a first in Canada
Ontario’s federal/provincial AgriInsurance program has been temporarily expanded to include coronavirus-related labour shortages as a covered cause for crop loss. Producers already enrolled in an eligible production insurance plan and hit by crop losses due to labour disruptions during the 2020 growing season will be able to get further insurance coverage, the Ontario and federal […] Read more
COVID-19 cases, deaths lead Ontario to test migrant farm workers
Toronto/Ottawa | Reuters — Ontario has started testing about 8,000 migrant farm workers for COVID-19 in a hard-hit rural region of the province after two young workers died and the coronavirus was found on at least 17 farms, according to the local public health authority. The Ontario outbreak has centred on farms in the Windsor-Essex […] Read more
New pilot program for agri-food labour welcomed
Meat processors, greenhouse and mushroom growers, livestock producers get first crack at program
Ottawa — Federal officials hope a new pilot program will help stabilize ongoing labour issues in certain sectors of the agri-food value chain, while also providing citizenship to some foreign workers. Critics, however, contend more support is needed. “This pilot will help to ensure that farmers and processors have the much-needed skills, experience and labour […] Read more
Sollio outlines pandemic recovery plan for food sector
Support sought for automation, digitization, telecommunications
Ottawa — One of Canada’s largest agri-food companies has laid out a five-point industry recovery plan for federal politicians to consider. During a meeting Tuesday of the Commons standing committee on finance, the president of Quebec-based Sollio Co-operative Group shared plans to limit consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agrifood supply chain. Sollio employs […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
