Meeting Place Organic Farm is the latest area business to certify as a living wage employer.
“Sustainability is important to me and to the farm operation, and that means on all levels, not just environmental,” said Katrina McQuail, who operates Meeting Place Organic Farm for her family. “It made perfect sense to prioritize paying our staff a living wage.”
“We thank Meeting Place Organic Farm for certifying,” added Lisa Harper, United Way Perth-Huron’s manager community development, Northern Huron. “Through paying a living wage, the McQuail family is helping build an even stronger local community by investing in the well-being of their employees.”
Based on a 35-hour work week, the new Perth-Huron living wage or $20.70 was calculated using local data and considered the living expenses of a weighted average of family types including a family of four, a single mother supporting a seven-year-old child and a single adult, once government transfers and deductions were taken into account. Everyday expenses in the calculation included food, housing, utilities, clothing, childcare and transportation. For more information about Perth-Huron’s living wage, GO HERE.
About Meeting Place Organic Farm
Meeting Place Organic Farm is a 100 acre draft powered family farm in picturesque Huron County. In operation since 1973, it is now under the stewardship of the second generation of the McQuail family. We have certified organic pastured pigs, certified organic 100% grass fed cattle and organically raised meat chickens. As well we produce organic eggs, organic apples and apple butter, vegetable, herb and heritage tomato seedlings. We cooperate with several other local farms to bring you local organic lamb, goat, duck, maple syrup and honey. We farm organically with Suffolk Punch horses and have a mixed livestock operation designed to nourish the soil and produce food in an ecologically sustainable manner. We pasture our cattle and feed our own hay in the winter. Our pigs have access to pasture as well as fresh garden weeds. We are founding members of the Ecological Farmer’s Association of Ontario. Some of our farm products have been certified organic for 30 years. Our organic certifier is Ecocert Canada. For more information visit meetingplaceorganicfarm.ca or call 519-528-2493.