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Jamaican farm workers enjoy dominoes, music, food, good vibes
Jamaican farm workers in the Simcoe region enjoyed a Dominoes Extravaganza on Sunday featuring ‘music, food, beverages and good vibes. And dominoes, of course, all hosted by the Jamaican Liaison Service at Townsend Fruit Farms east of Simcoe. “It’s a Jamaican pastime,” said Simcoe region liaison officer James Golding. “At most farms, that’s the way they socialize.”
Ontario farm jobs a coveted opportunity for seasonal workers
It was an emotional day for Jamaican Adam Arboine when he found out that he’d been accepted into Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). The news meant a coveted seasonal job in an Ontario vineyard – an opportunity to earn money to support his family that has brought him to Ontario for more than 22 years.
Area farms rely on ‘incredibly important’ foreign workers
Every year, tens of thousands of foreign workers come to Canada to put down roots — literally. With planting season well underway, hundreds of foreign workers from Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad/Tobago and eight other Caribbean countries have once again returned to work on nearby farms, including some within the Holland Marsh.
Soccer tournament sheds light on the many hobbies of migrant farm workers
The smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of cleats kicking a ball filled the air. When teams filed off arriving buses, it was easy to tell this was a day circled on the calendar for everyone in attendance. On August 13, the fourth annual Farms of Norfolk Football Tournament played host to 12 teams of migrant farm workers from different farms across southern Ontario.
NOTL migrant worker bike program a second career for skilled volunteers
Dennis Blake will often see his handiwork when he’s out and about in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Blake is a volunteer with the Bikes for Farmworkers program and he has learned to recognize the bikes he and his fellow volunteers have worked on after they leave the group’s shop. “We put reflectors on … so we recognize them, or at least I do,”
Migrant farm workers keen to return home as growing season ends
It’s fall harvest in Ontario and for many of the province’s migrant farm workers, that means it will soon be time to go back home to their families for the winter. Every year, Ontario fruit and vegetable growers employ approximately 20,000 seasonal and temporary foreign workers through the government-regulated Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the agricultural stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program.
Federal inspections show most Ontario employers follow rules protecting migrant workers
A year’s worth of federal government inspections revealed 94 per cent of companies that hire temporary foreign workers are living up to regulations aimed at protecting the employees.Between April 2022 and March 2023, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) conducted about 2,100 inspections of employers across all sectors of the economy, including fruit and vegetable producers.
Home away from home. Foreign workers are fairly treated says fruit grower … and the workers
Seasonal workers at Nighthawk Orchards outside of Meaford are happy with their home away from home as they prune apple trees in the sunshine. “We grow these trees from the bud,” said Delroy Martin, who has been travelling from his home in St. Thomas, Jamaica, to work at the orchard since 1989. “We enjoy it a lot. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be here.”
Canada’s migrant farm worker fact and information sheet
Seasonal and temporary international farm workers form an essential part of Canada’s domestic food supply chain and help Canadian growers address labour needs on their farms. With the money they earn in Canada, TFWs are able to support their families and communities back home. There are many examples of workers who have established farms and businesses in their home countries, created local jobs and sent their children to university.
Fruit and vegetable growers push back against UN expert comments linking foreign worker programs to ‘slavery
Ontario’s fruit and vegetable growers are pushing back against recent comments linking Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs to slavery. The statements were made recently by Tomoya Obokala, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, as he ended a two week visit to Canada.
Fruit and vegetable growers respond to UN rapporteur comments on temporary foreign worker programs
Ontario’s fruit and vegetable growers are pushing back against recent comments linking Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs to slavery. The statements were made recently by Tomoya Obokala, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, as he ended a two week visit to Canada.
Government-regulated programs key to employment protections for migrant farm workers
Leroy Gregorio from Jamaica comes to Canada annually to work at Truly Green Farms in Chatham, where he first worked tending tomato plants in the greenhouse and now harvests ripe fruit. “My job keeps me active. It keeps me going because I am a guy who thinks it is never enough. When I leave Jamaica to come here, it is all about working..."