The Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program

Deadline: the Program will end on March 31, 2028.

The purpose of the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program is to:

1. 1. Protect the physical health and safety of Sector workers by considering the working environment (e.g., air quality, extreme temperatures), the safety of structures, equipment, and machinery, as well as workers’ skills; and
   2. Protect the mental health of Primary Producers, their family members and agriculture and agri-food workers.

Eligible Activities

The following activities are eligible to be undertaken under the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program, including any Initiative established thereunder:

1. Improving Sector workplace and worker health, mental health, safety and well-being;
2. Addressing Sector workers’ accommodations as well as health, safety and well-being;
3. Developing strategies and frameworks to improve health, mental health and safety for the Sector;
4. Developing and supporting a mental health strategy for Sector workers and their families, including focused support for Indigenous Peoples, women and youth as well as other underrepresented or marginalized groups;
5. Supporting mental health through the facilitation of communities of practice, advocacy, development and promotion of programming and/or resources as well as coordination of all aspects related to agriculture and agri-food mental health responses and collaborations;
6. Applied research to monitor and better understand the unique needs and effective, tailored supports for workers’ mental health within the Sector;
7. Supporting awareness campaigns for health, mental health, safety and well-being of workers in the Sector;
8. Connecting individuals to qualified mental health professionals in local communities, information about financial, mental health and safety supports or best management practices;
9. Developing policy and programs as well as co-ordination and evaluation for worker safety and mental health;
10. Developing and delivery of training in health, mental health, safety and well-being;
11. Improving workers’ health, safety and/or working/living conditions, including employer-provided housing, for workers in the Sector;
12. Developing and maintaining a registry of employers of international agri-food workers;
13. Communicating success stories that build public trust and improve understanding of the Sector’s successes related to health and safety as well as mental health for workers and their families within the Sector; and
14. Any activity set out in:
    1. A Recipient’s Transfer Payment Agreement or a Vendor’s Service Level Agreement, or
    2. Any Designated Program Guidelines for the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program or any Initiative Guidelines for any Initiative established under the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program,

provided that activity falls within the purpose of the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program.

Eligible Persons

The following are eligible to participate in the Health, Safety and Mental Health Designated Program, including any Initiative established thereunder:

1. 1. Primary Producers;
   2. Processors;
   3. Industry Organizations;
   4. Research Bodies;
   5. Retailer/Wholesalers;
   6. Service Providers;
   7. P/T/M Governments; and
   8. Indigenous Peoples.