The BC Ministry of Labour is making a special plea to the farm sector for input on new regulations governing teen workers. Bill 8, which the legislature passed in May, raised the minimum employment age from 12 to 16 years in a bid to protect young workers. Youth aged 14 and 15 can still hold …
labour
Agriculture’s potential wins applause
A report on the potential of Canada’s agriculture sector has won applause from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture as the national farm organization ramps up efforts to put farming front-and-centre in the country’s election. RBC says the farm sector could boost its contribution to Canada’s gross domestic product to $51 billion by 2030, up from …
Temporary workers get boost
A three-year pilot program intended to attract foreign workers to the meat, mushroom and greenhouse vegetable sectors is getting mixed reviews in BC. Originally announced in this year’s federal budget, the program will give employers a chance to hire workers for a two-year period through the temporary foreign worker program. Qualified workers will have the …
Long-term labour demand eases
BC ranks fourth in Canada in terms of farm labour demand, according to a report released this week by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. The report indicates that BC’s farm sector will have an annual shortfall of more than 15,000 domestic workers by 2029. However, this is an improvement over 2017, when the shortfall …
Ottawa funds young workers
Year-end school tours are over for most farms, and now the real work begins. While many see the annual field trips as a chance to interest students in a future career in agriculture, many more farmers are grappling with the need to get work done right now. A new report from the Canadian Agricultural Human …
June boosts costs
BC farmers will see higher costs this month as several new measures take effect. June 1 saw the minimum wage increase to $13.85 an hour as part of provincial efforts to raise the rate to $15.20 an hour by 2021. While the province is holding the line on piece rates, the increase to the minimum …