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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-12-14, Page 11ea ort huronex ' ositor.co 1 P4 P4 P4 P4 P4 t4 Machines starting at �� All of our sewing machines come with to • Free unlimited lessons • Free service contract • Knowledgeable experienced staff • It's the local professional way k LAYAWAYS ACCEPTED Call for Christmas hours! , 4.o. Wednesday, December 14, 2016 • Huron Expositor 11 $31,000 OTF grant grows Meals on Wheels program On November 25, ONE CARE Home and Commu- nity Support Services wel- comed local dignitaries and members of the public to announce the expansion of the Meals on Wheels program to rural areas in Huron County. Funding to support expansion of the program includes a $31,000 seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). Local MPP Lisa Thompson and OTF Grant Review Team member, Judith Keightley, were on hand to congratu- late ONE CARE for the expansion of the program and to hear more about Meals on Wheels and how it Contributed Photo ONE CARE driver Mike Dupuis, ONE CARE board member Deb Shewfelt, Huron Warden Jim Ginn, Meals on Wheels Program Manager Anne Rollings, Meals on Wheels Supervisor Cindy Gravelle- Holbrook, ONE CARE Executive Director Kathy Scanlon and Huron Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson cut the ribbon for the new rural Meals on Wheels food truck. Funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation is supporting the start up of the program. Farm labour shortage bleak John Miner Postmedia Network With a growing gap between the number of peo- ple willing to work on the farm and the need for work- ers, Canada's reliance on for- eign workers is set to soar, a national think-tank predicts. In a new report, the Con- ference Board of Canada said there already is a gap of 59,200 workers, double what it was a decade ago. That shortage is expected to double again during the next 10 years with a gap of 113,800 positions by 2025. Report co-author Michael Burt, director of industrial economic trends at the Conference Board, said the two main areas hit with shortages are South- western Ontario and the horticultural areas of Brit- ish Columbia. If it wasn't for temporary foreign workers, it is likely a significant portion of Cana- dian farm land would go unplanted, the report said. "That would be a tragedy in a world where about 800 million people are food -insecure," the Confer- ence Board authors said. The report released this month found temporary for- eign workers fill one in 10 jobs in the sector, up from one in 20 a decade ago. Burt said there are sev- eral reasons for the agricul- ture sector labour short- ages, even at a time when people are unemployed. Often available work is in rural areas not easily accessed by unemployed people in urban centres. In addition, much agri- cultural work is seasonal with demand for workers soaring by about 100,000 and then plunging. Then, there is an image problem, with many people believing farm work is too physical with long hours. Two solutions often pro- posed — increasing the use of technology to replace labour and paying workers more — won't solve the shortages, the report said. The number of Canadi- ans willing to work in the sector has shrunk, even as wages have risen. At the same time, a dra- matic increase in the machinery employed per worker has contributed to agriculture experiencing the strongest labour pro- ductivity gains of any major sector during the past 20 years, but there are limits to which jobs can be mechanized. Given the prospect for continuing shortages, the Conference Board suggests Canada re-evaluate the effectiveness of immigra- tion programs so they bet- ter meet the needs of agriculture. The board also suggests overhauling the temporary foreign worker program, including easing the rules for entry visas and allowing permanent residency for migrant workers who are filling a permanent labour market need. supports people. "Programs like Meals on Wheels are important to ensuring that everyone, no matter where they live, have the supports needed to remain confidently in their homes," said Lisa Thomp- son, MPP for Huron -Bruce. Funding from OTF is sup- porting the first year of development for the new rural Meals on Wheels pro- gram. Funding is assisting with the operations of the service including marketing and promotions, wages for a truck driver, volunteer recruitment and training. The rural Meals on Wheels program has started with new routes in North Huron in the Lucknow, Blyth and Brussels area. Additional routes will be added in North Huron and, in the second phase of the program, new routes will be developed in South Huron. Meals are produced at the ONE CARE kitchens in Clin- ton and delivered in the food truck to specific distribution points where volunteers then take the meals and deliver them to the clients' homes in smaller villages, hamlets and country residences. An agency of the Govern- ment of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation is one of Canada's largest granting foundations. With a budget of over $136 million, OTF grants some 1,000 projects every year for Ontario communities. 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