Author: Owen Roberts

Agriculture suffers from a shortage of skilled labour, so it’s good to see investments into initiatives such as Conestoga’s College’s 16-week Agricultural Equipment Operator pilot program, the Olds College Smart Agriculture Applied Research Program and Assiniboine College’s agricultural training program. Worker shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic underlined how much we need to step up efforts to create a reliable, accessible agri-food workforce.

Planting, pruning, irrigating and harvesting doesn’t come cheap, as the farmers who depend on temporary foreign workers know too well. They incurred huge expenses last summer, trying to make their operations more pandemic-proof.
Photo: viacampesina.com

If you were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with family at Thanksgiving, it was likely with mixed emotions: grateful for the food we have and the company we share, but concern for those who don’t – here and elsewhere in the world.

As COVID-19 cases increase, food banks are worried they won’t have adequate stocks for workers laid-off for a second time. Even keeping supermarket shelves stocked at reasonable prices is complicated business in Canada’s multifaceted agri-food industry. But’s there’s one thing we can all agree on. Nothing trumps access to safe, quality food for our families.