Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

EI for the Self Employed

From CBC.ca...."The federal government on Tuesday will introduce legislation that would allow the self-employed to opt into the employment insurance plan and collect parental leave benefits.A senior government official told CBC news that once the legislation is passed, anyone wanting to opt in would have to pay regular EI premiums for a year before taking a leave.Once a self-employed person has accessed EI, they would have to continue paying premiums for as long as they are self-employed."
Would impact will this have on Agriculture in Canada if any?

Views: 75

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joann on November 3, 2009 at 6:03am
"That means everyone from small business owners to farmers can now access maternity leave, parental and adoptive benefits, and sickness and compassionate care benefits for the first time, though they will not get EI's regular weekly income replacement should they become unemployed."
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/720351---special-ei-benefit...

Smoke and mirrors.

People can start to pay the premiums but can't access it for a year with limitations.

I can't see it being a huge benefit for farm families considering the impact of farm income splitting.
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on November 3, 2009 at 7:50am
It "looks" great but as a farmer and insurance programs - we tend to carry some of the risk ourselves. As someone who has already gone through the process of having children with no Mat leave or benefits, and watching friends enjoy the privilege, I would have enjoyed having it but after reading some of the details - question it.
For example - on the surface going back 7 years, I would sign up immediately. After getting married, having 3 children (and kept working since I live in my workplace), I would see about opting out after having children. BUT....
in an email just received on this issue: "You can opt out only if you have never claimed a benefit - if any benefit is claimed you need to pay premium as long as you remain self-employed "
So some farmers continue until they... you know when. Paying premiums for 50 years for a 16 week stint for children? Also - the premium will have to be adjusted in order to compensate for the lack of "Income Loss" compensation.
I can not see many farmers signing up for this program once they read the details. Most likely one spouse may receive some benefits through their off-farm workplace. Also - once some of these farms are set up as a corporate operation - it may not be any different than working for Volvo than working for "Blackmega Dairy" owned by your parents.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Above Average Yields for Saskatchewan

Crops were above average this year in Saskatchewan, with yields topping the 10-year provincial average and beating the Statistics Canada model-based estimates released in September.  The province released its latest yield estimates in its final crop report for the 2025 growing season on Thursday.  The average oat and barley yields were pegged by the province at 94.4 and 70 bu/acre, respectively, compared to the StatsCan estimates of 90.2  and 67.9 bu/acre. The province pegged the average Hard Spring wheat yield at 51.5 bu/acre, and other spring wheat at 55.5 bu/acre, versus StatsCan’s single spring wheat estimate of 49.2 bu. The average provincial durum yield of 39.4 bu/acre was 2.5 bu above the StatsCan estimate.  At 42.4 bu/acre, the average Saskatchewan canola yield was 1.8 bu higher than StatsCan, while soybeans were a hefty 14.8 bu above at 39.6 bu. The average flax yield was pegged at 26.6 bu/acre, above StatsCan’s 23.1 bu.  Peas were reported by the province at 40.8 bu/acre,

Breaking the silence: Understanding stigma in farming and mental health

The narrative in agriculture is evolving. Caring for the land, animals, and equipment has always come first; now farmer well-being belongs on that list. For centuries, the culture in agriculture has valued resilience, self-reliance, and hard work. These are important qualities that have built our farms and fed our world. Yet these same values have, unintentionally, helped create one of the biggest barriers to farmer mental health: stigma. Stigma shows up as silence, hesitation, fear and shame, making farmers feel they must carry their struggles alone rather than reach out for support. Decades in the making The roots of those feelings – fear and shame towards mental health in agriculture stretch back decades, woven into the history of rural life. Farmers have been expected to endure hardship quietly, whether it was a drought, market crash, or a barn fire. Generations grew up hearing phrases like “tough it out” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Asking for help, especially for

Filiz Koksel, associate professor, University of Manitoba

Filiz Koksel is an associate professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences (FHNS) at the University of Manitoba (UM). She was appointed Manitoba Strategic Research Chair in Sustainable Protein in July this year. Born in Winnipeg while her father was completing graduate studies at UM, Koksel grew up in Turkey, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara. She later returned to Winnipeg to complete her PhD in food science at UM and joined the Department of FHNS as a faculty member in 2017. She lives in Winnipeg with her husband and their five-year-old daughter. Tell us a bit about what you’re working on at UM. My research focuses on food processing, transforming ingredients, both plant- and animal-based, into nutritious, appealing foods. These processes range from mixing or milling for bakery applications, to extrusion cooking, which is a process used for making puffed snacks like Cheeto

Canadian Beef Producers Request Termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) calls for the Government of Canada to initiate the termination of the Canada-UK Continuity Agreement, following the tabling of the UK Accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) legislation. In July 2023, the Government of Canada announced the accession of the UK to the CPTPP agreement. CCA, our provincial members, and beef producers across the country urged Canada to “say no to a bad deal”. Since then, the UK has not made any effort to address the non-tariff barriers that are keeping Canadian beef out of the UK market. At the same time, UK beef imports into the Canadian market have increased from $16.6 million in 2023 to $42.5 million in 2024. “We are calling on all Parliamentarians to stand up for Canadian beef producers,” said Tyler Fulton, President of CCA. “In these uncertain geopolitical times, we need every opportunity to diversify our markets.” Given the Government’s recent tabling of th

Jaclyn Prystupa powers precision automation at GIFS at USask

Jaclyn Prystupa is an Automation Specialist at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask). It’s a dynamic role in which she leads the development, optimization, and troubleshooting of automated workflows and laboratory equipment within GIFS’ Omics and Precision Analytics Laboratory (OPAL). Put more simply, she works with robots to expand the capabilities and throughput of GIFS’ genomics offerings. Every day, she programs, operates, and maintains a growing number of automated liquid handlers, each one capable of executing complex laboratory tasks with speed and precision. This work is central to OPAL — a PacBio Certified Service Provider and one of Canada’s largest sequencing and genotyping facilities. There, Prystupa combines genomics and computer science to accomplish big things in small timeframes. How big is big? Think thousands of plant, animal, and microbial samples. By leveraging automation, these samples are efficiently prepared,

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service