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Ontario’s fruit, vegetable and greenhouse vegetable farmers welcome the recent changes made by the Ontario government concerning minimum wage and other workplace legislation.

We appreciate the government’s recognition of the economic strain that many aspects of Bill 148, introduced by the previous provincial government, had put on the future of many of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farms.

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As farmers, we care about our employees — they are the backbone of our farms, and we support fair wages and working conditions. We also care strongly about producing safe, healthy food and about keeping our businesses strong and competitive.

The sudden and dramatic jump in hourly minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 in only a few months — an increase of 21 per cent — is one that many farm businesses need time to absorb and adjust to. Many fruit and vegetable farms are just now wrapping up their harvest and may not yet know what the impact of the higher wage rate will be on their businesses.