ONTARIO — On May 30, Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, a 31-year-old Mexican migrant farm worker, died of COVID-19. He lost his life to feed us and to provide for his family back home. More than 400 migrant farm workers have tested positive with COVID-19 in mass outbreaks across Southern Ontario.
“It is spreading among migrant workers due to overcrowded, unsanitary housing and unsafe working conditions, and/or a failure to quickly identify and isolate infected workers,” said the National Farmers Union of Ontario (NFU-O).
The NFU-O said they are devastated by the tragic death of Bonifacio Eugenio Romero and extend their deepest condolences to his family, friends, and to all the essential agricultural workers who are risking their health and safety to bring food to Canadian tables every day.
“Migrant farm workers are contracting the virus in the local community,” said the NFU-O in an email statement. “They arrive in Canada in good health and are compliant with the 14 day quarantine protocol. Uncoordinated quarantine measures are unfairly stigmatizing these workers, despite the fact that they are not the source of the outbreaks.”
The NFU-O is concerned not all farmers are complying with government regulations regarding the pandemic. They worry government inspections of farms and migrant worker accommodations are being conducted remotely and will not be effective in the absence of surprise on-site inspections for verification. They are troubled because they say some migrant workers are not receiving adequate and ongoing information on health and safety protocols in the language of their choice.
“The NFU-O is against discriminatory exclusionary measures that target migrant workers, such as identification cards and restricted and prohibited movement on and off of the farm. They said they find the ongoing and systemic racism migrant farm workers experience abhorrent, including reports that they are being denied entry into local grocery stores. “Migrant workers deserve to live and work in safety and dignity.”
“We stand in solidarity with the Migrant Rights Network and Justicia for Migrant Workers in their outrage over the death of Bonifacio Eugenio Romero and their efforts to improve migrant workers’ housing, working, and status conditions.” The NFU has a long-standing position in support of migrant workers. The NFU has joined calls for regulatory changes so migrant workers can change jobs without threat of deportation, have full access to health care and other employee benefits, and be granted permanent resident status.
