Federal Investment To Improve TFW Program

Aug 04, 2020

On Friday, the Federal Government announced additional action is being taken to reduce the incidence and impact of COVID-19 outbreaks on farms.

Ottawa is investing $58.6 million to strengthen the Temporary Foreign Workers Program to safeguard the health and safety of Canadian and temporary foreign workers.

There's $7.4 million to increase supports to temporary foreign workers, including $6.0M for direct outreach to workers delivered through migrant worker support organizations.

There's $16.2 million to strengthen the employer inspections and $35 million to improve health and safety on farms and in employee living quarters to prevent and respond to the spread of COVID-19.

This money will be used for infrastructure improvements to living quarters, temporary or emergency housing (on- or off-farm), as well as PPE, sanitary stations, and any other health and safety measures.

Non-repayable contributions will be cost-shared 50:50 with the applicants.

The Government will also work to develop mandatory requirements to improve employer-provided accommodations, focusing on ensuring better living conditions for workers which will help reduce the risk of infection and spread of COVID for foreign workers.

The Windsor-Essex County in Ontario is currently dealing with a COVID outbreak amongst Temporary Foreign Workers.

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Video: Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Laya Alves from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, discusses how animal welfare regulations are evolving globally and their impact on pig production systems. She explains challenges in group housing, pain management, and euthanasia decisions, while highlighting the role of training and management in improving outcomes and economic sustainability. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Translating welfare requirements into daily farm routines without compromising economic sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by producers globally today."

Meet the guest: Dr. Laya Alves / laya-kannan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on animal welfare in pig production, including pain management, euthanasia, and economic decision making. Her work integrates welfare science with practical farm management and sustainability. She collaborates globally to develop applied tools for producers.