Earlier this week, the Ontario government implemented a new stay-at-home order which officially came into effect as of Thursday, January 14, 2021. Due to this emergency order, all OFA offices across the province will be closed and all staff will be working remotely, from home, until further notice.

While OFA is fortunate that most of our work can be completed remotely from home, it is not business as usual. Many of our staff, similar to our members, also experiencing the challenges of poor internet connectivity, unreliable cellular service, assisting the needs of family members or children and balancing workloads and life priorities under the same roof. With this in mind, you may experience delays in return of your phone calls or email inquiries as staff work to balance the challenges that come with working from home.

In addition, some of our normal business practices, such as producing and mailing OFA membership cards, will not be completed until we are back in the office. To substitute, OFA staff can provide new members with an emailed confirmation of their membership until we are able to mail the membership cards out. Farm Business Registrant members who have renewed with Agricorp can expect to receive their membership cards and receipts in the mail before the end of April.

OFA continues to work to fulfill the needs of our 38,000 farm family members, but we would appreciate your patience as we all try to navigate this pandemic together.

As we proceed through another lockdown and begin to adapt to a new reality, it is important to know how to reach out if you are struggling. OFA has compiled a list of mental health resources if you or someone you know is struggling. Please find them at ofa.on.ca/mental-health.

For 24/7 immediate assistance, please reach out to the Ontario Mental Health Line by calling ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600. You can also use a chat online, email, and access additional resources from connexontario.ca.