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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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