December 30, 2024 - Word on the Block

Get ready for an unforgettable evening in support of Canada’s rising butchery stars!
Join the Canadian Junior Butcher Team on January 25th for a exciting night of delicious food and fine wine. Currently on a journey to the World Butcher Challenge in Paris, France next March 2025, they need your support! 

Indulge in a French Bistro-themed 4-course menu, with each course thoughtfully paired with wines and a signature cocktail - all included in your ticket. Experience the magic of Paris that evening, with dishes crafted by culinary wizards from Wayne Gretzky’s Estate Winery and Fanshawe College’s School of Tourism, Hospitality, and Culinary Arts.
But that’s not all! The night also features a silent auction with incredible items, giving you the chance to snag something special while supporting the team.
Mark your calendars for this one-of-a-kind event where great food meets a great cause. Let’s send our Junior Butcher Team to Paris in style!

Register Here

Thank you to our Supporters!

Kungfu Butchers, founded by Jay Chen, connects skilled Chinese workers with Canadian employers in the agri-food sector. The company provides comprehensive training in China, covering butchery skills and English proficiency, ensuring recruits are job-ready before they arrive in Canada. Kungfu Butchers also handles the immigration paperwork, simplifying the hiring process for employers. To address retention issues, recruits commit to working for a minimum of two years with their Canadian employers. This approach offers a reliable and long-term solution to the labor shortage in Canada’s agri-food industry.

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Weston Abattoir is a meat processing plant located in Windsor, ON. They specialize in slaughtering, processing, and packaging pork. The owner, Neil Weston has been running their family business for three generations, which his grandpa started in 1910. Their main building has been operational since 1926, and a newer facility in 1976. Their products are hand selected depending on the customers needs. ​

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Funding News

Strategic Energy Management Program - Apply Now! 

Save on Energy launched a new program for industrial, commercial, and institutional organizations in Ontario. This Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Program places organizations within a cohort of peers to receive coaching, training, peer support, and financial incentives to help meet their energy reduction goals.
 
Given the importance of the food and beverage sector in Ontario, the program plans to build a dedicated Food & Beverage Cohort to address specific energy challenges and opportunities in the sector and support efforts to reduce utility costs and improve sustainability. We encourage you to join your peers and take part.
 
Applications are being accepted now!

Program Highlights:

• Earn up to $5,000 towards energy management tools
• Earn up to $100,000 in performance incentives per year (at $0.02 per kWh saved)
• Participate in facilitated activities to identify energy-saving opportunities at your facility and identify gaps in your energy management practices
• Work with experts to develop a facility baseline model to monitor energy performance

To connect directly with the SEM Program team, schedule a 15 minute zoom call with an SEM Coach. 
 
Learn More

Labour

​CareersNOW! - Ontario Food and Beverage Processing
​Industry's Workforce Initiative

If you are an industry employer, we can assist with your recruitment and retention needs! We'll connect your organization with qualified and local talent through online job fairs and access to networks with over 130,000 jobseekers and students. 

If you are a jobseeker or student, you will find opportunities posted by top industry employers! You can also access career tools like free job fairs, skills training, and mentorship sessions to get ready for your new job or to advance your careers.

​LEARN MORE

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Workplace Safety

Free High Risk Needs Assessment
In 2022, WSPS worked collaboratively with the MLITSD (Ministry of Labour)  and representatives from firms to identify the top OHS risks and their root causes in workplaces like yours.
WSPS created an assessment tool that drills down into the risks and identifies your firm’s related strengths and opportunities for improvement.  
Offering High Risk Needs Assessment  

• Free for qualified food manufacturing firms
• Detailed checklist for each high risk, based on Top Risks in Food Manufacturing & Root Cause Analysis | WSPS
  • Lockout
  • Safeguarding
  • Mobile Equipment
• Completed by WSPS consultant and results in a report and action plan with recommendations

Process:

• Register with the WSPS via RARCA [email protected]
• WSPS will schedule a mutually agreeable date for assessment
• WSPS will review of any provided relevant firm documents
• WSPS visits your facility to observe workplace practices and conditions (approx. ½ day)
• WSPS will schedule a virtual meeting to discuss findings and action planning
• Access to free WSPS solutions to kick start your action plan

Assessment Timeline:

• Starting in November 2024, completed by end of January 2025

​*Click here for information, tools, and resources on the work to date. Top Risks in Food Manufacturing & Root Cause Analysis | WSPS
Opportunity is limited. Reply to RARCA [email protected] to reserve your High Risk Assessment.

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Refrigerant leaks can be fatal. Take action to protect your workers 

Any place where you need to keep things cold—whether it’s a meat packing plant, a grocery store, or a restaurant — you will have a refrigerant chemical passing through a compressor and running through the pipes. Do your employees understand the risks of working near refrigerant chemicals? Find out what to do to keep workers safe.

Read more here. ​