On Tuesday morning, 20 Jan 2026, Dave Douglas welcomed Shawn McGowan as our Guest Speaker. At our hybrid (ie live attendance at R83 with zoom remote attendance) session, he spoke to us about his work and involvement in support of the local famers; in particular with regard to his responsibilities for the Temporary Foreign Farmers (TFW) program. It was noted that this group of support workers, so-essential to our food-chain operations numbers around 38,000 in Ontario and over 6,000 here in Norfolk County.
Shawn covered a wide range of connected topics from legal & compliance frameworks. to recruitment strategies & practices, to workplace integration rights (incl development & training). As he closed, he noted the main challenges and risks faced by our farmers and their workers as well as many of the ongoing efforts at continuous improvement.
Click here for a link to Shawn's business webpage comlete with a short bio on our speaker.
It was a remarkable and detailed insight into a very important aspect of life in Norfolk County. Many, many questions followed. In the end, Co-President Ross Gowan offered appreciative remarks in thanking Shawn for his skill, experience and work within the local agricultural community. Shawn was then presented with an expression of our thanks by noting that we had, in his name, restored the sight of a 34-year old Ghanian as part of of our Operation Eyesight support.
Shawn covered a wide range of connected topics from legal & compliance frameworks. to recruitment strategies & practices, to workplace integration rights (incl development & training). As he closed, he noted the main challenges and risks faced by our farmers and their workers as well as many of the ongoing efforts at continuous improvement.
Click here for a link to Shawn's business webpage comlete with a short bio on our speaker.
It was a remarkable and detailed insight into a very important aspect of life in Norfolk County. Many, many questions followed. In the end, Co-President Ross Gowan offered appreciative remarks in thanking Shawn for his skill, experience and work within the local agricultural community. Shawn was then presented with an expression of our thanks by noting that we had, in his name, restored the sight of a 34-year old Ghanian as part of of our Operation Eyesight support.
