New regulations for Alberta farmers and ranchers now in effect

Among those who will not be impacted by the new rules include:

Farm families who do not have any waged, non-family members
Unpaid farm and ranch workers such as relatives, friends, and neighbours helping out on the family farm
Children doing chores or participating in 4-H

For employment standards, some of the rules include:

Farms and ranches are not subject to the current standards on hours of work and overtime due to the extended working hours required during harvest and seeding
General holiday pay will be based on 4.2% of the previous four weeks’ wages, vacation pay, and general holiday pay
Employees are entitled to four days of rest for every 28 days of work
For waged, non-family workers on farms and ranches with six or much workers, a minimum payment of $15 per hour must be given for adults or $13 per hour for students under the age of 18

For OHS, some of the rules include:

The basic standards in the OHS Act applies to farm and ranch operations involved with the production of crops through the cultivation of land, raising and maintenance of animals or birds, and the keeping of bees with at least one waged, non-family member worker
Operations that are not considered to be farm or ranch operations under the OHS Act include the processing of food products, landscaping, raising or boarding of pets, and the operation of greenhouses, mushroom farms, nurseries, or sod farms
OHS rules do not apply to family members of the owner of the farm or ranch, to the private residence including areas around the home, or when doing non-work related activities on the land such as recreational activities

For workers’ compensation, some of the rules include:

Workers’ Compensation Board insurance coverage must be provided for most farmworkers as of January 2016 with the exception of family members or children

For more details on the Farm Freedom and Safety Act and its connected regulations, click here.

by David Opinko