The federal and Ontario governments are offering $1.5 million to help foreign workers feel welcomed.
The International Agri-Food Foreign Workers Welcoming Communities fund will be open for applications Oct. 8 to Nov. to Nov. 19.
The funding includes translation support, expanding or introducing transportation services and supporting cultural and recreational facilities.
There is a webpage of resources available in Enflish, Spanish and French.
Successful applicants can receive up to 75 per cent in cost-share
funding per application, up to a maximum of $100,000. Applications demonstrating financial need may be eligible for more cost-share funding. The initiative guidelines are available online.
Eligible organizations and municipalities can apply to implement activities and project collaborations with other organizations (e.g. faith-based, for-profit, community health centres, etc.) that support the attraction and retention of IAWs, improve their access to
community services, and promote their independence.
“It’s vitally important that our international agri-food workers have access to support and services while they’re in Canada,” said federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
“This program will make a real difference in their lives, helping them feel more connected and supported while they contribute so much to ouragricultural sector.”
Ontario Agriculture Minister Rob Flack said “international agri-food workers play a vital role in Ontario’s agri-food sector, and we want
them to feel engaged and supported.
“As the next cohort of workers arrives this growing season, our government is ensuring Ontario continues to attract and retain the skills and talent our growing agri-food sector will need.”
This reminds me of an incident I encountered about a decade ago while volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build site.
There was a group of five or six refugees who showed up to volunteer every day in the summer while they had a break from English language classes.
They were farmers from their home country and would have preferred to be working in a field, so I contacted the man who ran temporary foreign worker relations for the Ontario farming community.
I explained they are excellent and willing workers, but would need transportation to and from Kitchener.
I was told to forget it because farmers hiring temporary foreign workers have them on site from sunup to sundown, no hassles for the employers.
I was dismayed. Would some of these services now offered to temporary foreign workers be available to here-and-now refugees with farming experience, we would be welcoming them and saving Canadian taxpayers money.
