Minister Leal says agriculture will ‘encounter challenges’ due to wage increase

May 31, 2017

Minimum wage expected to increase to $15 per hour by 2019

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Jeff Leal, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, issued the following statement to Farms.com in response to the minimum wage increase proposed by Premier Kathleen Wynne on Tuesday:

"Our government recognizes that people across Ontario are feeling less secure, that some are no longer able to count on their job to provide for themselves and their family and that many workers are in unstable positions with unreliable hours or pay.

“In response to those concerns, my colleague the Minister of Labour announced a range of measures that will help protect Ontario workers and help them get ahead in a changing economy. This includes raising the minimum wage and introducing paid sick days which will help alleviate poverty in communities across the province, including rural Ontario.

“While I agree that this is good public policy for the province of Ontario, I also recognize the very real challenges faced by our agri-food as sector as they produce and make the good things that grow across the province. I am particularly aware that our agriculture sector will encounter challenges that reflect the unique nature of the work our farmers do and the environment in which they operate.

“Our government has a proven track record of working with and for Ontario's agri-food sector, and we remain committed to helping farmers and food processors remain competitive and a key driver of our economy.

“I will continue to be a strong voice for the interests of Ontario's farmers and food processors to ensure that they are able to continue to grow and remain competitive."

Minimum wage in Ontario is expected to increase to $14 per hour by the end of 2018 and to $15 per hour by the end of 2019, the Ontario Government announced on Tuesday.

Others within the agriculture industry echoed some of Minister Leal’s sentiments.

“It’s very concerning,” Neil Currie, general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, told Farms.com Tuesday. “Abattoirs and food and beverage manufacturers are going to struggle.”

As of October 1, 2016, the highest minimum wage in Canada is $13.00 per hour in Nunavut, according to the Retail Council of Canada. The lowest minimum wage is $10.50 per hour in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Photo: Retail Council of Canada

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.