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Farm wages, benefits have room to improve, survey says

Agriculture wages lag behind fields like construction, manufacturing, transport; jobs may lack basic benefits

"While some agriculture employers offered these benefits, many participating organizations do not offer any flexible work arrangements or basic benefits like sick days," CAHRC wrote in a report on its 2024 survey of compensation practices in Canadian agriculture.

The money will be aimed at improving living quarters for temporary foreign workers, the federal government said.  Photo: Getty Images

Agriculture workers not mentioned in TFW rule changes

Food processing sees foreign worker limit reduced by ten per cent; construction, healthcare exempted

The federal government announced Thursday that, effective May 1, some sectors would be allowed no more than 20 per cent of their workforces to be made up of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) brought in via the low wage stream—down from 30 per cent since 2022. 



Chris Raupers says most of the farm workers he has brought in from Europe are highly skilled and extremely dedicated to the job.

What to expect from international workers to address labour shortfalls

Benefits include dedicated, skilled and experienced farm workers

Like many western Canadian farmers, Chris Raupers has struggled at times when it comes to finding experienced workers to fill positions on the 6,500-acre grain farm he operates near Cardale, Man., with his wife, Lindsey, and their three children. He’s hardly alone in that regard. A report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business […] Read more


File photo of an Ontario cherry orchard. (UpdogDesigns/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario to extend labour-related crop loss coverage

Losses due to COVID-19-related labour disruptions covered

A temporary crop insurance expansion that covers Ontario farms against crop losses due to “on-farm labour disruptions” caused by COVID-19 will be held over for yet another year. Agricorp, the province’s farm program delivery agency, announced in late December the feature first introduced in 2020 will be included again in 2022, at the same coverage […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

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