A newly announced pause on the arrival of temporary foreign workers in Windsor-Essex amid the Omicron surge is expected to come at a cost for vegetable growers in southwestern Ontario.
Joe Sbrocchi, general manager of Ontario Greenhouse and Vegetable Growers, says the delay could potentially be “catastrophic” for crops.
“Once the plants grow too wild they can’t be cultivated, and so they have to be basically killed down. So you’re talking about massive amounts of food waste, tons of money being poured down the toilet,” he said.
“It’s terrible and it’s also horrible for these workers.”
Public health officials in Windsor-Essex on Wednesday announced a three-week
