More Mexican Farmers Expected to Arrive in Canada Soon

A plane with more or less 150 Mexican farmers had landed at the Vancouver Internation Airport. Others arrive at Okanagan after a 14-day mandatory isolation period, says an article.

The arrival of the foreign workers from Mexico came two days after the federal and provincial authorities announced the programs to provide funds for temporary foreign workers.

The province agreed to give remuneration to the 14-day isolation period. The farmers will be staying in hotels in Vancouver.

According to the B.C. Fruit Growers Association's general manager Glen Lucas, he believes that the measure will allow the standard care for their foreign workers.

Paying Foreign Workers During the 14-Day Isolation Period

The federal government will be giving $1,500 for every foreign worker who will undergo the 14-day isolation period.

Every foreign worker is required to be given a pay equivalent to not less than 30 hours per week while on isolation. This amount equates to $900. The other $600 will be used to offset the expenses for hiring charter flights compared to the traditional commercial flights. Also, it will be used to pay for the transportation of the workers to Okanagan.

Growers will still be having high expenses for this year due to the increased need for sanitation facilities, cleaning, and more space to allow workers to work two meters apart.

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Not All Will Be Bound to Okanagan

Not all of the 150 Mexican workers will be sent to Okanagan. Some of them will be sent to work in Fraser Valley Farms. The foreign farmers will be arriving on their worksites based on their primary schedule of arrival. However, due to the 14-day isolation period, their arrival at the worksites will be delayed by six weeks.

The workers are needed starting the middle of June. Lucas hopes that the foreign workers will be there before that date. A lot of charter flights will also be making its way to the country shortly.

Provincial Protocol for Foreign Workers amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Provincial protocol governing which COVID-19 policies should be applied to foreign workers was arranged last week. It mandates that workers in the orchards should stay there. They are also required not to visit the town since all of their groceries will be delivered to them.

It is a recommendation and not an order, says Lucas. Due to the risks of the transmission of COVID-19, these foreign workers will be refraining from going outside the farm, Lucas added.

Some worker rights activists have spoked against the isolation of foreign workers on farms. There are risks that these foreign workers will be under poor housing and working conditions.

The Mexican farmworkers were already fully oriented on the protocols before they arrived in the country, says Lucas.

According to Lucas, the farmers are coming to the farm to work for many years.