B.C. wildfires, extreme conditions leave some migrant workers in a jam

Many migrants are working in hot, smoky conditions but feel they can't speak up for themselves when it comes to unsafe conditions, advocates say.

The situation has been compounded for many by recent evacuations in wildfire-affected areas such as the Okanagan Valley, where supporters of migrant rights say they've heard of workers being moved to overcrowded accommodation or to different farms and told to keep working in the unhealthy air.

"We continue to hear of migrant workers who are being asked to go outside without any protection to work in these conditions," said Amanda Aziz, a staff lawyer with Migrant Workers Centre in Vancouver.

"We're very concerned about the health and safety of these workers."

Last week in the Kelowna area, temperatures hit the high 30s, and wildfire smoke blanketed much of the province. The Central Okanagan is one region now under an air quality advisory — according to Environment Canada, the Air Quality Health Index there hit its highest possible rating, 'very high risk,' on Friday, Aug. 18.

In those conditions, Environment Canada advises the public to reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors, especially if symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation are experienced. The 'very high risk' rating persisted until early Tuesday morning, Aug. 22, with few breaks.

"A worker has a right to say no to unsafe working conditions," said Aziz, but she added that many people in Canada as part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program have permits to only work for a single employer, whom they rely on for their subsistence, so they struggle to enforce their rights.

Byron Cruz, a community organizer with the Sanctuary Health Collective — a member of the Migrant Rights Network — said his group has heard similar stories from migrant workers who feel forced to continue working despite the extreme conditions.

Cruz said from what's been reported to his group, the heat situation is worse in the Fraser Valley, where people toiling in greenhouses face even higher temperatures.

He said some migrant workers told his group that they were suffering headaches, swelling and inflammation of the face, and feeling like they were going to faint. Cruz said he wasn't aware of any cases where hospitalization was needed.

The group has been monitoring the situation, especially in the Fraser Valley, and distributing liquids like Gatorade to workers, according to Cruz.

Evacuation pressures

Cruz said about 600 migrant workers have been among the thousands of evacuees across the province. He said in Lake Country and West Kelowna, migrant farm workers were served evacuation orders by police. They were then taken to houses that were already filled to capacity.

"It's a kind of overcrowded situation right now, because there were already workers in those houses, and then new workers came," said Cruz.

By Monday night, Cruz said plans were being made to address the crowding and move people to other accommodations.

He said some of the displaced workers have been moved to other farms where they're expected to keep working, despite the air quality.

"I think the measure to take them to a safer house was correct. What is not correct is to have them go back to work when the air quality is so bad in those areas," said Cruz.

According to a community organizer who helped put together an information event for migrant workers in Surrey last week, some migrants do not report work-related injuries due to a lack of knowledge or out of fear of losing work. 

"They feel if something happens to them they will get deported or not called to jobs again," said Claudia Chavez, health co-ordinator for Dignidad Migrante, an organization run by foreign workers to help other foreign workers.

For some migrant workers in the Okanagan, the evacuations and threat of wildfires have spelled the end of their working season. But Cruz said the air space closure in the Kelowna area as a result of firefighting activity has thwarted many trying to travel home.

He said one group of about 30 people had their flights to El Salvador cancelled, while another group of about 50 going to different countries had also been stuck in the area.

Cruz said many had been delayed about a week, and had been able to stay in housing at the farms. By Tuesday, he said many had managed to find flights out of the area.

For more information on workers' rights, you can visit:

• Dignidad Migrante Society's website.
• B.C.'s Temporary Foreign Workers Act.
• Migrant Workers Centre B.C.
• Government of Canada Temporary Foreign Workers.