Migrant workers' COVID-19 assessment centre sees low numbers first day

Erie Shores HealthCare's COVID-19 assessment centre saw 160 farm workers on Tuesday — significantly less than the 500 to 600 tests officials were hoping to conduct each day.

The centre at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre — formerly Leamington's recreational complex — opened as a way to improve access to testing for people in the agri-food sector. It also came after two migrant workers from Mexico died in Windsor-Essex due to COVID-19. 

In a tweet explaining they had conducted 160 tests but had more capacity, the hospital said they "would love to have farms, growers and greenhouses come" to the testing centre. 

On Tuesday, 43 new cases of COVID-19 were reported by the region's health unit and 34 of those cases were in migrant farm workers. 

According to the health unit, there is roughly 8,000 migrant workers in our region. 

Highline Mushrooms was the first argi-business to utilize the testing centre.

"We've all worked collaboratively that there are different steps in this solution and testing at this point is one of those steps," said Aaron Hamer, president and CEO at Highline Mushrooms. 

Four workers at the Kingsville operation had previously tested positive for COVID-19 in April. 

Hamer said he was pleased with the Leamington assessment centre after his employees were tested there Tuesday. 

"The feedback from our associates was universally positive as our staff felt safe and well-taken care of," Hamer said. 

"I strongly encourage all local farms to support our community by bringing your team into the [assessment centre] for testing."

A scathing report released Monday by the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change in Canada revealed complaints they have received from migrant farm workers on a variety of issues, including a lack of access to protective equipment, crowded conditions that don't allow physical distancing, poor access to proper food during quarantine and unfair gouging on wages and meal costs.

Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said there is still a need for change at the federal level despite the fact that there are responsible agri-businesses.

"A good employer can do a bad thing a bad employer can do a good thing. What we want is a set of laws that protect workers so that it's not about the goodness of the employer but it is about correct legal application of appropriate rules," he said. 

The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG), the non-profit organization that represents growers in Ontario, said it supports the increased access to testing for farm workers — domestic or foreign.

"Our top priority is the health and safety of our farm employees, be they international or domestic," said Joe
Sbrocchi, OGVG general manager, in a statement. "We urge our members to undertake all steps to protect this essential workforce including making testing available to those who are interested."

Testing at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre will continue Wednesday.