Canada needs 30,000 new immigrants in agri sector: Report
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Apr, 2023 02:09 PM
Toronto, April 19 (IANS) Canada needs 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to either start up their own farms, or take over existing ones, to address a looming labour crisis in the agriculture industry, says a new study.
According to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) research, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, placing agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country's history.
Over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge, and in 10 years, 60 per cent of today's farm operators will be over the age of 65, that is, close to retirement.
Amidst all this, 66 per cent of producers do not have a succession plan in place, leaving the future of farmland in doubt, the study said.
Canada's agricultural sector is among the most diverse in the world though the degree of demand for foreign workers differs significantly by province and operation.
When it comes to more highly-skilled farm operators, Canada has always welcomed them from India, the Netherlands, China, the US and the UK.
However, in case of immigration of low-skilled labourers, better policies are needed because the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program, which remains a critical source of low-skilled labour, is just a provisional solution to a chronic issue, the study said.
Many of these TFWs who develop skills essential to seeding and harvests, must return to their home countries for short periods, and if they are unable to return to Canada, the country's on-farm workforce is dramatically reduced.
RBC researchers said that a pathway to permanent residency for experienced TFWs will immediately address this type of shortage.
Canada had started an agriculture-specific immigration pilot programme in 2020 to give a path to permanent residency for non-seasonal workers with experience, which is set to end in May 2023, a CBC News report said.
As of February 2023, more than 1,500 people have been admitted through the program in Ottawa province.
A department spokesperson told CBC that they are assessing the pilot programme "and the possible extension beyond its scheduled expiry".
The spokesperson added that giving migrants permanent residence "is not the solution to labour shortages".
Drivers are reminded that the Pattullo Bridge between Surrey and New Westminster will be closed in both directions starting on Thursday, April 6, at 10 p.m. and reopening on Tuesday, April 11, at 5 a.m. Drivers should take the Port Mann or Alex Fraser bridges as alternate routes.
On March 3rd of last year police were contacted about allegations involving a man and a child victim whom the accused had initially met online, and later met in-person. On March 9th, following an extensive investigation, 39-year-old Adam Joseph Woolacott of Burnaby was charged with various sexual offences.
The man, who had unfortunately lost money to a so-called grandparent scam last summer, received a phone call from a person claiming to work for Burnaby RCMP Victim Services who said she could help him recover the lost funds. The scammer verbally provided the legitimate Burnaby RCMP Victim Services phone number to the senior as a callback number.
Mulroney, 84, was prime minister from 1984 to 1993, as leader of the Progressive Conservatives. While in office he negotiated the first free trade agreement with the U.S., which later became NAFTA.
A ministry statement says the wage increase matches B.C.'s 2022 average inflation rate and will benefit about 150,000 workers, most of them food service staff, grocery store workers, retail workers and others who were essential workers during the pandemic.
Trudeau says it's heartbreaking that discoveries like these continue to happen. The Winnipeg homicide unit says it started an investigation after staff at the Brady Road landfill south of the city found the body of 33-year-old Linda Mary Beardy on Monday.
