The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing nearly $1.8 million over two years to provide international agricultural workers (IAWs) in Ontario with enhanced access to mental health supports in Spanish, Tagalog, French and English.

Delivered by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Ontario Division, in close partnership with its Windsor-Essex and Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk regional branches, the International Agricultural Worker Wellness Program will support IAWs with managing stress, homesickness and isolation. The program will provide referrals to free local services, including recreational activities, primary care, counselling, support groups, in-person workshops, and more.

“Ontario respects and appreciates the international agricultural workers who call our province home and who contribute so much to our almost $51 billion agri-food sector,” said Rob Flack, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “The IAW Wellness Program will help these important workers access the supports and services needed to improve their quality of life and better integrate into our dynamic agri-food workforce of more than 871,000 men and women.”

The program will launch in early 2025 and be delivered over two years, with resources available in Spanish, French and English in year one, expanding to include Tagalog in year two. The program will focus on the Windsor-Essex region first and then expand to Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk in year two. Both regions have high populations of IAWs. In the second year, the program will also offer support to farm operators with workshops on how to create safer workplaces.

This investment recognizes the critical contribution IAWs make in Ontario’s agricultural economy. It builds on the success of the IAW Welcome Centre and the IAW Welcoming Communities Initiative.

In 2023, Ontario launched the Virtual Welcome Centre, a webpage of resources for IAWs available in English, Spanish and French. It includes information and links about worker rights and responsibilities, adjusting to life in Ontario, health care, human and labour trafficking, and living and working safely in the community.

Source:  Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Agribusiness October 17, 2024 news release

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