Meet the faces behind the Ontario produce on your plate! Each year thousands of migrant farm workers make their way to Ontario to work on fruit and vegetable farms around the province. While for many of them this experience is relatively new, some workers have been returning to Ontario farms for over 20 years! From trumpet players to carpenters, they all have a unique story to share. Click the profiles below to learn more about the women and men who play such an important role on our farms.
Meet Kunanon, Temporary Foreign Worker from Thailand
I have been working in Canada for eight years. My first year in Canada was in 2013. My job as a farmworker includes picking and packing strawberries. I am happy to be here because I have a great boss and coworkers. The boss is very kind to us, and the team is really strong. That makes me proud.
Meet Kim, Temporary Foreign Worker from Thailand
I planned to work in Canada; it was the first place that I wanted to come to work. My cousin was working here and recommended that I come to work with him, and I said yes right away. I feel really happy that the program can help people and not cost any money from us. I’m confident being here; my cousin had experienced the program before me.
Meet Josh, Grower at TamBerry Farms
Here at TamBerry, we have around 30 employees in various programs. They are how we can provide strawberries year-round. Many people don’t realize how critical seasonal workers are to the day-to-day operations of a farm like this. The workers are dependable; they are a part of the team.
Meet Jodi, Grower at TamBerry Farms
My name is Jodi; I work in the office at the farm, and right now, I do everything: HR, payroll, receivables and payables. HR is my favourite, as is getting to know the workers, their backgrounds, their stories, why they are here, and what they gave up to come here. My dad has been involved with greenhouses for around 15 years now. We started with a pig farm, sold that, and got into the greenhouse industry.
Meet Eddy, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Jamaica
My name is Edward Gayle, but most people call me Eddy. I am from St Elizabeth, Jamaica, which some would call the bread basket of Jamaica. Most households in St Elizabeth would have a farm around them. It is natural to be involved in farming because we see our grandparents or our mother or father doing some form of cultivating food.
Meet Tony, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Jamaica
My name is Vincent (Tony) and I am from Jamaica, this is my 41stseason working at this farm. Why always the same farm? Incredible people! Here I work with good people, I keep coming back year after year and I always look forward to being with them. They are like my family away from home, and everyone takes care of each other.
Meet Orlando, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Jamaica
My name is Orlando, I'm from Kingston, Jamaica. That's the capital of Jamaica. I live in a community that is said to be volatile. It is stereotyped and stigmatized because of violence. I grew up seeing the political war and as a result of that, I chose a positive path, being a peace initiator and violence preventer, being a specialist in that space. I went to school and have a degree in sociology.
Meet Gerardo, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Mexico
My name is Gerardo, I come from Guanajuato, Mexico. I have worked 14 years on the same farm here in Canada. Before I came here, my dad was working for many years here, 25 years on this farm. We would work together all the time; it was a great opportunity to work with my dad. My dad goes back and forth to the states with my mom now.
Meet Gabriel, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Mexico
My name is Gabriel, I am from Yucatán, Mexico. I have been coming here for 11 years to Canada, five years here at this farm. On the farm I pick cilantro and dill and I package onions. I came to Canada to get ahead and give my daughters a better life.
Meet Jair, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Mexico
Hello, my name is Jair, I come to Canada from Mexico, from the city of Guanajuato. This is my third year coming to Canada and my first year on this farm. This is also the first year I have been able to play soccer in Canada. When I arrived, all my coworkers were excited about a big soccer tournament.
Meet Rogelio, Seasonal Agricultural Worker from Mexico
My name is Rogelio Gamboa. I am from Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, in Mexico. For 13 years I have been working here for Brenn-B Farms. Every year I come in April and I go back in the middle of December. At home I have my wife and my two daughters, my youngest is 10 months old...she is little.
Meet Felena, Former Seasonal Agricultural Worker
So much has changed in the last three years! I had started doing research to get my Permanent Residency (PR) status even before the pandemic. I knew I wanted to live in Canada permanently. That’s not easy unless you have the support of your employer but I was lucky to have that. He hired me full time and I was able to get my PR in April, 2022.