Covid-19: Ontario to support agri-food sector workers

The Government of Ontario in Canada has announced new measures to support and protect workers in the agri-food sector affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

As part of this initiative, the government said that it will significantly expand the Agri-food Workplace Protection Programme and agreed to provide C$15m to improve health and safety measures on farms and in food processing facilities.

Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ernie Hardeman said: “Agri-food businesses and their hardworking employees play a critical role in keeping our food supply chain strong, providing us with fresh, high-quality and nutritious food all year round.

“Today’s investment will allow farmers to adapt to this new environment and implement additional health and safety measures during the Covid-19 outbreak.”

Under the programme, the government will be providing cost-share funding for farmers to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and implement workplace modifications and other measures.

With these initiatives, the government aims to improve the health and safety for their workers, while ensuring a continued supply of locally grown food during the pandemic.

Additionally, the government has agreed to support producers and other operations, which experience unexpected costs for short-term accommodation and transportation.

Some measures that have been already implemented by the government include temporary housing for ill workers, building physical barriers for worker separation, enhanced hand washing facilities and a tent rental to expand lunchroom space.

Last month, the Canadian Government announced its support to the dairy sector, impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of this initiative, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that government is planning to amend the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) Act to and increase the borrowing limit of CDC to C$200m to facilitate temporary storage of cheese and butter while avoiding food wastage.

CDC is a Crown corporation, which administers milk production control mechanisms to ensure production shortages or surpluses. It provides a framework for managing the sector, a shared federal and provincial responsibility.