A look at
KAP’s recent
work on
behalf of all
Manitoba
farmers
COVID-19 Response
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in
accordance with public health orders, KAP closed
its office to the public and staff in mid-March. Staff
shifted to working from home and were in daily
contact using video conferencing software like
Zoom. KAP board members and district represen-tatives
held twice weekly Zoom calls to get a better
understanding of how COVID-19 was impacting
different parts of the province.
The KAP Alert, KAP’s weekly e-newsletter,
shifted to a daily model for over six weeks to
keep members and industry partners up to
speed on daily government announcements and
funding programs.
COVID-19 Advocacy Efforts
Both the provincial and federal governments had
regular stakeholder engagement calls during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial calls were focused
on economic development across the province with
stakeholders focused on how to get people back to
work safely, and adapting government programs
to fit the needs of both employees and employers.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada engage-ment
focused on agriculture-specific issues, and
KAP was also engaged in regular contact and
information sharing with the Canadian Federation
of Agriculture. KAP policy committee meetings,
which occur twice annually, were held via Zoom
this spring and allowed for timely discussion on
how the pandemic was impacting specific sections
of industry.
Class 1 Mandatory Entry-Level
Training Program
One June 26, the provincial government approved
a six-month extension of the deferral of mandatory
entry-level training (MELT) for Class 1 drivers in the
agricultural sector. This means that Class 1 drivers
in the agricultural sector now have until March 1,
2021, to complete MELT requirements. KAP worked
with Manitoba Infrastructure, Manitoba Crown
Services, and Manitoba Public Insurance to put this
extension in place given testing difficulties brought
on by COVID-19.
Growing Manitoba Together
In May, KAP launched the Growing Manitoba
Together campaign to say thank you to the
thousands of Manitobans who are part of the food
supply chain in the province. One thousand stickers
were delivered by KAP board members and staff,
and a robust social media campaign was launched
thanking a different group each day using #mbgrow.
KAP Webinars
KAP program manager Thea Green worked in col-laboration
with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource
Development to coordinate several webinars for
farmers during the pandemic. Webinars have
focused on mental health and burnout, emergen-cy
preparedness, and pandemic resiliency. More
webinars will be hosted this summer on a regular
basis. KAP will also be working further to develop
regular webinars going forward as this has been a
positive way to engage with farmers in a manner
that doesn’t require face-to-face meetings and long
commute times.
Kateryna Kon/123rf
16 § Manitoba Farmers’ Voice § Summer 2020