To help farmers and other agri‐food businesses guard against the spread of COVID‐19 in the workplace and protect employee health and safety, Ontario is continuing to provide financial assistance through the Enhanced Agri‐food Workplace Protection Program.

Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is pleased to announce that on November 10, 2022, the Ontario government will be launching a new intake under the Enhanced Agri‐food Workplace Protection Program to support workers’ health and safety and ensure the continued supply of locally grown food all year round.

Ontario is providing $10 million in 2022–23 for ongoing support and expansion of the Enhanced Agri‐Food Workplace Protection Program. The program is a cost‐sharing initiative that provides financial assistance to eligible agri‐food businesses that continue to face extraordinary costs related to wage support, isolation and quarantine measures, and infection prevention and control measures. The $10 million in provincial funding will be available through three program streams:

• Stream I: Agri‐Food Workplace COVID‐19 Prevention and Protection
• Stream II: Wage, Isolation and Quarantine Support for Employers of International Agri‐food Workers and Domestic Workers in Ontario
• Stream III: Congregate Housing Infection Prevention and Control Measures (Congregate housing defined as employers who provide housing to International Agricultural Workers (IAWs) partaking in the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and / or Workers living in employer provided accommodation)