With applications now being accepted for seasonal workers arriving in 2021, farm leaders are stepping up efforts to negotiate entry restrictions on returning workers. Many nursery operations requiring workers in the opening days of January but the requirement for foreign arrivals in Canada to self-isolate for 14 days could delay when they start work. To …
WALI
SAWP requirements waived
With the scramble for harvest labour continuing across BC, many growers are looking ahead to what the next season holds. To address the issues associated with labour, Ottawa is now accepting applications from employers for seasonal workers required in 2021. The minimum recruitment requirements for several occupations have been waived to improve employers’ access to …
Ottawa announces new rules for foreign workers
BC is awaiting details of federal plans to develop mandatory requirements for seasonal worker accommodations provided by farmers as well as a stronger inspection regime. The initiative of Employment and Social Development Canada was announced July 31 by Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion minister and Delta MP Carla Qualtrough and federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude …
Ag council helps avert seasonal worker delays
ABBOTSFORD – Potential problems bringing in seasonal farm workers have been averted. Western Agricultural Labour Initiative (WALI) program manager Veronica Moreno warned growers at a BC Landscape & Nursery Association meeting in Abbotsford on December 17 that they could face delays receiving Mexican workers through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) at the beginning of …