The P.E.I. government is examining the potential for a program which would allow social assistance recipients to do farm work without affecting their benefits.
“It has some value to it,” Tina Mundy, P.E.I.’s minister of Family and Human Services told local media. “If it fits with Islanders and the needs of Islanders, we'd definitely be looking at partnerships if industry might have an interest in it.”
The ground work for the potential program has included consultations with the province of Nova Scotia regarding their Harvest Connections program. Since 2008, the program has allowed Nova Scotian income assistance recipients to keep up to $3,000 of income earned working the seasonal harvest, which includes blueberries, raspberries, grapes, vegetables and apples. The province later extended the program to also include Christmas trees and wreaths.
“It’s a positive opportunity for our clients and for the employers,” says Roberta Rhodes, income assistance specialist with the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services. “It enables the employers the capacity to access additional resources when they need it most.” Rhodes says that the challenge of the program is finding the right match of client and employer. There are a variety of logistic issues to consider when searching for an ideal match.
“When you look at seasonal harvesting employment opportunities, a lot of these are in rural settings. So having access to reliable transportation can be a key factor for anybody considering participating in the program. For us, many of the local farms that participate in the program aren’t located on the bus route. Some clients may need transportation to the bus route depending on where they live and where the farms are located.”
In other cases, the abilities and capabilities of the income assistance recipient may be better suited to one type of harvesting work than another. Rhodes says that potential employers must be registered with the province and that the capacity to provide paystubs is a great benefit to their clients.
- Matt Jones