One of three men to survive the deadliest crash in Ontario’s history says more should be done to protect the safety of the province’s migrant workers.
Speaking in front of a small group in London, Juan Ariza said he is still recovering from the February 2012 crash in the hamlet of Hampstead, near Shakespeare.
Eleven people were killed when a van carrying Ariza and other migrant workers collided head-on with a flatbed truck.
Since the crash, there have been changes to better the lives of migrant workers – including mandatory days off and shorter working hours – but Ariza said he would like to see the government do more.
“The migrant workers need someone to supervise, to check what is going on with them,” he said.
In the audience was poultry farmer Kees Peeters, who said migrant workers play a vital role on Ontario’s chicken and vegetable farms.
“We have to realize a lot of work would not get done if it wasn’t for them,” he said.
Ariza, who at one point after the crash returned to his home of Peru, has since come back to Ontario on a temporary residency.
