News release
Collaborative efforts improve living and working conditions for Ontario’s seasonal and temporary farm workers
For immediate release
Guelph ON, 07 May 2025 – As spring arrives, Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farms are once again welcoming seasonal and temporary farm workers from other countries. Five years after the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, many improvements have been made to support and protect the workers who come to help grow the food Ontarians enjoy as part of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program’s agricultural stream.
“Five years ago, growers were unsure whether they would have workers to grow and harvest the many fruit and vegetable crops Ontarians love – and workers didn’t know whether they’d be able to come here to work. Those were stressful times for everyone, but five years later, it’s remarkable how much positive change has resulted since then,” says Bill George, grape grower and chair of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) Labour Committee.
“These important programs are still sometimes portrayed as leaving workers vulnerable without adequate housing or knowledge of their rights or the protections they’re entitled to, but a truly collaborative effort by farm employers, various levels of government and by the workers’ home countries has gone a long way to addressing legitimate concerns brought forward,” he adds.
Legal work programs like SAWP and the TFW program have strong rules that are regularly reviewed and updated. One key area of focus has been worker housing. While a new national housing standard is still being developed, many Ontario farmers have already proactively upgraded their housing at their own expense far beyond any existing regional standards and proposed changes. This housing is typically provided to farm workers for free (SAWP) or at minimal cost (no more than $30/week in the TFW program).
Another important measure that has been put in place in recent years is the creation of open work permits for vulnerable workers, which allows workers in the TFW program to leave a problematic workplace and move to another employer. Workers in the SAWP can also request a transfer to another approved farm through their country’s consulate or liaison office.
After an independent investigation into SAWP by a government taskforce, a 2023 fact-finding report from the Jamaican government showed that most Jamaican workers have a positive view of SAWP, and that compliance with program rules is at a very high level in the agriculture sector.
SAWP is highly valued by Canadian employers, the international workers and their home countries. These jobs in Canada help support workers’ families with health care and education, start businesses and contribute to their communities back home.
The federal government is currently reviewing and updating Canada’s TFW programs serving the agriculture industry, and the OFVGA, along with many other stakeholders, is involved in those discussions.
“Government, employers and worker advocacy organizations continue to work together to directly respond to challenges that have been identified with these programs – and we are proud of the many positive changes that have already been made,” says George. “We know that there is always more than can be done and we value the seasonal and temporary foreign workers that are such an essential part of Ontario’s local fruit and vegetable production.”
Each year, over 20,000 international workers come to Ontario farms through legal, government-approved programs like SAWP and the TFW program agricultural stream. SAWP began in 1966 with just 264 Jamaican workers. Today, the heavily regulated, government-approved program is open to seasonal workers from Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Eastern Caribbean who return to their home countries at the end of each year.
Through its More than a Migrant Worker initiative, the OFVGA empowers these workers to share their stories in their own words while highlighting the important role they play in Canada’s food system and the ongoing investments and improvements being made in their safety and well-being.
The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the voice of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable producers on issues affecting the horticulture sector.
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For more information:
Bill George, Labour Committee Chair, 905-984-0994 or george2vineyards@gmail.com
Stefan Larrass, Senior Policy Advisor, 519-803-9914 or slarrass@ofvga.org
Background information on seasonal and temporary foreign agricultural workers in Ontario
Canada’s government-approved foreign worker programs for agriculture are the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the agriculture stream of the federal Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program.
Participation in Canada’s TFW programs for agriculture
Agricultural TFWs apply in their home countries for the opportunity to be part of these programs in Canada and sign legal contracts when accepting employment. All contracts are subject to federal government audits and inspections to ensure program regulations are followed and they match the job specifications for which the employer received government approval when workers were hired.
SAWP contract terms also reflect decades of collaborative negotiations between Canada and the workers’ home countries, which include Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, and the Eastern Caribbean Islands.
SAWP is highly valued by the governments of these partner countries; these jobs help workers support their families, start businesses, and contribute to their communities back home.
Worker rights and benefits
Employers under these programs have the same and, in some cases, higher obligations to their temporary foreign workers as they do for their Canadian employees, including government-approved wage rates, access to health care under OHIP, Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan as well as workplace insurance coverage and safety protection – just like any Canadian employee is entitled to.
Wages: Workers with permits under SAWP or the TFW program are paid the same wages for the same work as Canadians. Employers must pay their workers the highest of three possible rates: the province’s minimum wage, a standard seasonal agricultural rate set by the federal government and determined by the type of work being done, or the rate an employer would otherwise pay a Canadian worker doing the same job.
Housing: Housing for farm workers is typically provided for free (SAWP) or at a minimal cost of no more than $30 per week for TFW program participants. This is an obligation for farm employers that is over and above both what they must provide Canadian workers and what is available to TFWs in industries outside of agriculture.
Ontario housing for workers with permits under SAWP or the TFW program must follow fire and building codes and local public health standards. All housing is supervised and inspected by government officials, local public health units and, for SAWP workers, liaison officers from their home countries.
Housing inspections are completed annually before workers are allowed to arrive on the farm. Ontario worker housing guidelines have set requirements including, but not limited to, providing housing that is pest-free, and has clean water and adequate sanitation facilities.
Mandatory compliance inspections
To ensure all these requirements are being followed in practice, farms are subject to frequent federal, provincial, and in many cases, foreign government compliance inspections. Farm businesses hiring SAWP or TFW program workers are inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, Employment Social Development Canada, and in the case of SAWP workers, liaison officers from their home countries, for compliance with regulations around employment standards, working conditions and workplace safety.
Non-compliant SAWP and TFW program employers are fined, placed on probation, or excluded from the program in the future if they fail to meet the program’s very high standards.
Available worker supports
Workers with permits under SAWP or the TFW program also have access to a multilingual, 24/7 federal government support centre they can use to raise concerns and seek help relating to their current employment.
Unfortunately, migrant workers who are undocumented or don’t have legal work permits are vulnerable to mistreatment, regardless of which sector they work in. Governments at the federal and provincial level have made it a priority to prevent the exploitation of these undocumented people and the farming sector is fully supportive of this aim.