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".
Nelson Police Service Chief Const. Donovan Fisher announced Wade Tittemore's promotion at his funeral service today, saying they had already planned to move the constable up to their general investigation section before he died. Tittemore, who was 43, died while off duty when an avalanche rolled over him and a co-worker Jan. 9 while they were skiing in the backcountry in southeastern B.C.
The agreement, signed Tuesday with the Blueberry River First Nations in northeastern B.C., includes a $200-million restoration fund and timelines for coming up with plans to manage watersheds and oil and gas activities in parts of the First Nations' claim area, which covers four per cent of the province.
Statistics Canada reports that visible minorities are generally more likely than their white counterparts to earn a university degree but less likely to find a job that pays as well. Based on data from the 2021 and 2016 censuses show that two years after graduating, visible minorities reported lower employment earnings and lower rates of unionization and pension plan coverage.
A British Columbia judge has tossed out a lawsuit that accused the B.C. government of violating its own rules to account for greenhouse gas emission targets. In dismissing the lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club of British Columbia, Justice Jasvinder Basran finds the environment and climate change minister has "reasonably complied" with the Climate Change Accountability Act.
A British Columbia First Nation police service says RCMP are investigating allegations of criminal conduct involving one of its members. The service polices 10 member reserves in the southern Interior in Indigenous communities including Lillooet, Seton Lake, Lil'wat and Cayoose Creek.
The victim was standing on Granville near Nelson Street just after 10 p.m. Tuesday when the shooting occurred. The victim, 32, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital.
