Migrant worker’s death prompts calls for full and permanent immigration status
Working conditions of migrant farm workers have come into focus following the death of a migrant worker while operating heavy equipment at a southern Ontario farm.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour confirmed on Aug. 14 that it was notified of a fatality at a farm in Norfolk County, stating: "a temporary foreign worker was fatally injured while operating farm equipment."
The worker was identified by the Jamaican government and his Norfolk County employer.
"The Ministry of Labour and social security is expressing deep sadness at the passing of Mr. Garvin Yapp, a 57-year-old worker who participated in the ministry’s farm work programme in Canada,” the Jamaican ministry said in a media release.
It goes on to say that Yapp had been travelling to work on farms in Canada for 35 years, and he was held in such high esteem that his employer would vacation at Yapp’s home on his visits to Jamaica.
His employer, the VanBerlo family declined an interview, sending a statement instead through their lawyer.
"The VanBerlo's did not lose an employee. They lost a person they considered a member of their family. Their relationship with Garvin was forged over 34 years of employment at their family farm. Accordingly, they are devastated by his death,” the lawyer’s statement read.
The emailed statement from the lawyer said the family has cooperated fully with the investigation undertaken by the Ministry of Labour and awaits the outcome of the coroner's analysis into the cause of death.
“The VanBerlo’s extend their profound and heartfelt condolences to Garvin’s family in Canada and Jamaica.
ADVOCATES SPEAK TO MIGRANT WORKER'S CONDITIONS
Advocates are arguing the system that governs migrant worker’s employment in Canada is broken and needs to be revamped to ensure there are no more preventable deaths.
“We do not know if his family will receive any compensation,” said Syed Hussan, executive director at Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
The organization said this is just one of a dozen migrant worker deaths in Canada they are aware of this year.
“People are literally dying for your food,” said Hussan.
The organization points to the death as proof the foreign worker system needs to be overhauled, arguing workers need to receive full and permanent immigration status.
“Human beings are being treated like machines,” said Hussan.
The cause of the farming equipment crash which led to Yapp's death is unknown at this point.
"The migrant farm worker program is effectively a human rights catastrophe," said Hussan. "Every day we hear about injuries. Every month we hear about deaths. There have been three deaths that we know of just in the last week."
The Ontario Ministry Of Labour says their investigation is ongoing.
The Jamaican Ministry Of Labour said they are in contact with Yapp's family offering 'psycho-social and other support.'
The Jamaican labour minister is touring farms in Canada this week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.