2. Learn how much you’ll be paid

Your employment contract includes information about your hours of work, pay, breaks, and days off.

There are different rules about pay for farm workers than for other people in Ontario. You're not covered by minimum wage laws, which say the minimum amount of money that workers must be paid.

You also do not have the right to things like:

• the “3-hour rule”, which says that if workers are called into work and then work less than 3 hours, they must be paid for 3 hours
• overtime rules that say workers are paid extra money for working more than 44 hours in a week
• paid vacation
• paid time off on public holidays

Travel and cost of hiring

If you came to Canada through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, your employer can take money from your pay to cover the cost of your flight or work permit. But they can do this only if it's written in your employment contract. There are rules about how much they can take.

If you came to Canada through another program, like the Agricultural Stream, you employer cannot take money from your pay for your flight or work permit.

Housing and food

Your employer can count the food and housing they give you as part of your pay if you eat the food and live in the housing. The amount depends on whether you came to Canada through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or the Agricultural Stream.

You must have agreed to these charges in your employment contract. And your contract must include how much the charges will be, or how you can easily figure out what they are.

If your employer takes money for your housing or food, they must put this in writing on your pay statement.