Hotline became lifeline for migrant workers secretly reporting poor conditions on Canadian farms - CBC.ca | Canada News Media
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Hotline became lifeline for migrant workers secretly reporting poor conditions on Canadian farms – CBC.ca

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Kit Andres’ cellphone was known among migrant farm workers as a hotline for whatever they needed, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has transformed into a lifeline as workers across the country call in secrecy to report poor conditions on farms.

“They really don’t know who we are, so to even just reach out and send us a WhatsApp message saying ‘This is what’s going on at my farm, please help,’ was a huge risk for them,” Andres, an organizer with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, told CBC News.

Migrant farm workers have also been among the hardest hit groups during the pandemic. The virus has infected close to 1,000 of them in Ontario, three of whom died. It has sparked calls for governing bodies to improve workers’ conditions. 

Before the pandemic, hotline staff said calls were mainly about things like Employment Insurance and migrant workers rights in Canada. But as coronavirus took hold, Andres said they noticed an increase in calls about conditions on the farms.

She said it would take multiple calls for her to win a migrant worker’s trust before they would tell her their real name and what farm they worked on. 

“Some of those conversations are still ongoing because of the level of fear on these farms. It’s so real and deep, they don’t feel safe even sharing a fake name with me.”

Workers fear consequences of speaking out

She said the culture of fear comes from many of the 60,000 seasonal farm workers in Canada having their bosses also serve as their landlords. Many live where they work.

Andres said some of them are undocumented and almost all are temporary workers whose status is tied to a sole employer. If the worker has an issue with that employer, she said, it could affect whether they get hired in the future.

And she said the “fear and intimidation” was there long before the novel coronavirus emerged.

WATCH | Undocumented migrant workers fear deportation during COVID-19 pandemic:

Ontario has started onsite testing as a way to tackle the COVID-19 outbreaks on farms and in greenhouses in Windsor-Essex County. But the government’s measures overlook approximately 2,000 undocumented migrant workers in the area, and fears of deportation prevent them from coming forward. 4:05

Andres focuses on English-speaking and Caribbean workers in Niagara, but has received calls from across Canada. 

She and a colleague, Sonia Aviles, told CBC Front Burner they heard about allegations of racism in the calls, as well as cramped, unhygienic conditions, sometimes with little to no food. Andres said she drove some supplies to farm workers herself to make sure they had basic groceries. 

She said she was also able to help some of the workers in Haldimand and Norfolk counties in southern Ontario at hot spots like the Scotlynn Group Farm, which saw one migrant worker die and roughly 200 others become infected. 

Scotlynn president and CEO Scott Biddle told Front Burner that the farm had taken “every precautionary measure” to prevent the coronavirus and “followed every protocol put in place.” 

Keith Currie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), said the public is only getting one side of the story.

“If it was such a problem with what’s being reported across the industry, why would [the seasonal worker program] be 60 years old and why would these people keep coming back over multiple generations?” he said.

He said the outbreaks on farms are no different than long-term care homes, with groups of people working in close proximity. Currie added that there are many inspections and protocols in place. Some of those were “virtual” inspections.

“What we know now is those protocols aren’t COVID-19 proof,” he said.

Workers walk on the property at Scotlynn Group Farm near Vittoria, Ont., on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. A coronavirus outbreak at the farm saw one migrant worker die and roughly 200 others become infected. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Path to permanent resident status is key, advocate says

Andres said fixing up specific farms isn’t enough.

“The problem is not about individual employers. It’s not about a few bad apples breaking the rules. It’s that the rules themselves are not good enough,” she said.

“The issue is there’s not a national housing standard that every employer has to abide by. Wherever a worker is going to in Canada, they can’t be assured wherever they end up, the housing will be clean, safe and dignified because they don’t have a choice about what farm they get sent to.”

Currie said the idea that migrant workers have no rights is “unfair.”

“They have the same labour rights, the same rights to health care … they are absolutely looked after the same way you and I are. They even pay into CPP so when they go home, they are able to collect a pension,” he explained.

Migrant farm workers harvest corn in Abbotsford, B.C., in September 2019. The workers have been among the hardest hit groups during the pandemic, sparking calls to improve workers’ conditions. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

He also said not every farm owner is perfect and that the OFA and CFA try their best to provide the best working conditions for employees.

“Do we want to make things better? Absolutely … doing a panic, rushed move to try and fix everything in one-fell swoop might lead to a whole other problem.”

Andres argues that one of the most important solutions would be creating better access to obtaining permanent resident status, which would offer a safety net for workers who could face homelessness, unemployment or deportation for turning down work.

Currie said the government has been piloting a path to permanent resident status for workers in the agriculture setting and those results could lead to similar opportunities for others.

Andres said she hopes they act soon.

“Without having their permanent resident status here, they will never feel completely free to assert their rights and speak out … they’re sick of being in constant crisis.”

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RCMP end latest N.B. search regarding teenage girl who went missing in 2021

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BATHURST, N.B. – RCMP in New Brunswick say a weekend ground search for evidence related to the disappearance of a teenage girl in 2021 didn’t reveal any new information.

In an emailed statement, the RCMP said 20 people participated in the search for evidence in the case of Madison Roy-Boudreau of Bathurst.

The release said the search occurred in the Middle River area, just south of the girl’s hometown.

Police have said the 14-year-old’s disappearance is being treated as a homicide investigation.

The RCMP said the search “did not reveal any new information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.”

There are no plans for another search until police receive a tip or a lead pointing to a new search area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown

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VICTORIA – A middle school in Victoria was forced into a lockdown after a man entered the building without permission, and police say they had to use a stun gun to make an arrest.

Victoria police say officers received multiple calls around noon on Monday of an unknown male entering Central Middle School, leading staff to set off emergency procedures that put the building under lockdown.

Police say its emergency response team arrived within minutes and found the suspect, who “appeared to be in a drug-induced state,” in the school’s library.

A statement from police says the suspect resisted arrest, and officers had to use a Taser to subdue the man.

He’s being held by police and has been assessed by emergency medical staff.

Police say the man was not armed and there were no continuing safety concerns for students and staff following the arrest.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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B.C. Greens’ ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

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VANCOUVER – Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it’s like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to create the province’s next administration is less likely this time than seven years ago.

Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan’s NDP minority government in 2017, but said in an interview Monday there is now more animosity between the two parties.

Neither the NDP nor the B.C. Conservatives secured a majority in Saturday’s election, raising the prospect of a minority NDP government if Leader David Eby can get the support of two Green legislators.

Manual recounts in two ridings could also play an important role in the outcome, which will not be known for about a week.

Weaver, who is no longer a member of the Greens, endorsed a Conservative candidate in his home riding.

He said Eby would be in a better position to negotiate if Furstenau, who lost her seat, stepped aside as party leader.

“I think Mr. Eby would be able to have fresh discussions with fresh new faces around the table, (after) four years of political sniping … between Sonia and the NDP in the B.C. legislature,” he said.

He said Furstenau’s loss put the two elected Greens in an awkward position because parties “need the leader in the legislature.”

Furstenau could resign as leader or one of the elected Greens could step down and let her run in a byelection in their riding, he said.

“They need to resolve that issue sooner rather than later,” he said.

The Green victories went to Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.

Neither Botterell nor Valeriote have held seats in the legislature before, Weaver noted.

“It’s not like in 2017 when, you know, I had been in the (legislature) for four years already,” Weaver said, adding that “the learning curve is steep.”

Sanjay Jeram, chair of undergraduate studies in political science at Simon Fraser University, said he doesn’t think it’ll be an “easygoing relationship between (the NDP and Greens) this time around.”

“I don’t know if Eby and Furstenau have the same relationship — or the potential to have the same relationship — as Horgan and Weaver did,” he said. “I think their demands will be a little more strict and it’ll be a little more of a cold alliance than it was in 2017 if they do form an alliance.”

Horgan and Weaver shook hands on a confidence-and-supply agreement before attending a rugby match, where they were spotted sitting together before the deal became public knowledge.

Eby said in his election-night speech that he had already reached out to Furstenau and suggested common “progressive values” between their parties.

Furstenau said in her concession speech that her party was poised to play a “pivotal role” in the legislature.

Botterell said in an election-night interview that he was “totally supportive of Sonia” and he would “do everything I can to support her and the path forward that she chooses to take because that’s her decision.”

The Green Party of Canada issued a news release Monday, congratulating the candidates on their victories, noting Valeriote’s win is the first time that a Green MLA has been elected outside of Vancouver Island.

“Now, like all British Columbians we await the final seat count to know which party will have the best chance to form government. Let’s hope that the Green caucus has a pivotal role,” the release said, echoing Furstenau’s turn of phrase.

The final results of the election won’t be known until at least next week.

Elections BC says manual recounts will be held on Oct. 26 to 28 in two ridings where NDP candidates led B.C. Conservatives by fewer than 100 votes after the initial count ended on Sunday.

The outcomes in Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat could determine who forms government.

The election’s initial results have the NDP elected or leading in 46 ridings, and the B.C. Conservatives in 45, both short of the 47 majority mark in B.C.’s 93-seat legislature.

If the Conservatives win both of the recount ridings and win all other ridings where they lead, Rustad will win with a one-seat majority.

If the NDP holds onto at least one of the ridings where there are recounts, wins the other races it leads, and strikes a deal with the Greens, they would have enough numbers to form a minority government.

But another election could also be on the cards, since the winner will have to nominate a Speaker, reducing the government’s numbers in the legislature by one vote.

Elections BC says it will also be counting about 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots from Oct. 26 to 28.

The NDP went into the election with 55 ridings, representing a comfortable majority in what was then an 87-seat legislature.

Jeram, with Simon Fraser University, said though the counts aren’t finalized, the Conservatives were the big winners in the election.

“They weren’t really a not much of a formal party until not that long ago, and to go from two per cent of the vote to winning 45 or more seats in the B.C. provincial election is just incredible,” he said in an interview Monday.

Jeram said people had expected Eby to call an election after he took over from John Horgan in 2022, and if he had, he doesn’t think there would have been the same result.

He said the B.C. Conservative’s popularity grew as a result of the decision of the BC Liberals to rebrand as BC United and later drop out.

“Had Eby called an election before that really shook out, and maybe especially before (Pierre) Poilievre, kind of really had the wind in his sails and started to grow, I think he could have won the majority for sure.”

He said he wasn’t surprised by the results of the election, saying polls were fairly accurate.

“Ultimately, it really was a result that we saw coming for a while, since the moment that BC United withdrew and put their support behind the conservatives, I think this was the outcome that was expected.”

— With files from Darryl Greer

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.



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