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TINA COMEAU PHOTO IN DEPTH: Covering a contentious lobster fishery What you need to know about COVID-19 today app SWNews_original Have you heard about the SaltWire News app? Susan Harvie of Kentville became the driving force for the Ryan’s Park pocket community development that recently got underway in Kentville during her pursuit to get Ryan, her adult son with autism spectrum disorder, out of an institutional care setting. - Contributed SaltWire Selects: Stories you don't want to miss Salt logo. Check out Halifax’s new(s) urban weekly newsletter Advocates ‘concerned’ about temporary foreign worker program, renew calls for better rights, protections for workers Noushin Ziafati Published: Jul 06, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. Updated: Jul 07, 2020 at 8:29 a.m. Sorry you must be at least 19 years of age to consume this content. Advocacy group No One is Illegal - Halifax/K’jipuktuk recently launched a poster campaign, placing posters around Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, so that people going to get local fruits and vegetables at the market would think about "the important role that migrant workers play in our food system" and join the group's calls for better rights and protections for migrant workers. Advocacy group No One is Illegal - Halifax/K’jipuktuk recently launched a poster campaign, placing posters around Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market, so that people going to get local fruits and vegetables at the market would think about "the important role that migrant workers play" in the food system and join the group's calls for rights and protections for migrant workers. (BUTTON) A (BUTTON) A After Nova Scotia reported its first case of a temporary foreign worker testing positive for COVID-19 last week, advocates are renewing a call for permanent resident status for all in Canada as the “only and best solution” to prevent further spread of COVID-19 among migrant workers. In a news release, the Nova Scotia Health Department said a temporary foreign worker tested positive for COVID-19 on July 1 and that they “have been self-isolating since arriving in the province, as required.” The release didn’t include the location of the worker or many details, but noted the “likely source of infection for this case” is from travel outside of Canada. Some 60,000 temporary foreign workers came to Canada last year, 1,500 of which came to work in Nova Scotia. Concerns over the health and safety of temporary foreign workers in Canada have been looming amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as three people working at farms in Ontario have died from the coronavirus and hundreds have been infected by it across Canada to date. Stacey Gomez, a member of the advocacy group No One is Illegal - Halifax/K’jipuktuk, said she “wasn’t surprised” to hear a migrant worker tested positive for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, seeing how workers have been impacted by COVID-19 across Canada, but that she’s “concerned.” “It really points to the fundamental issues with the temporary foreign worker program that urgently need to be addressed,” said Gomez. “The fact there’s a case now here in Nova Scotia and there are cases also in New Brunswick, really highlights that the temporary nature of this program really puts migrants at risk.” No One is Illegal - Halifax/K’jipuktuk is part of the larger national Migrant Rights Network, which is calling on the federal government to give permanent resident status to all migrants in Canada, including undocumented people, migrant workers and “anyone with precarious status in our communities.” Karen Cocq, of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, which recently released a report on the complaints of hundreds of migrants who are working in Canada during the pandemic, said this is the “only and best solution” to prevent further spread of COVID-19 among migrant workers. According to Gomez, permanent immigration status for all will “fundamentally improve things” for migrants, giving them “the same rights and protections as Canadians and permanent residents,” such as access to health care, income support and the ability to assert basic rights. Without these rights and protections, Gomez said migrants are in a “vulnerable” position, especially since they are typically tied to a single employer and are unable to leave their workplace and find work elsewhere in Canada if they face abuse or unsafe conditions. “If a migrant worker is working on a farm, for instance, and they are concerned about the situation at their workplace, like if they’re not receiving protective equipment, if they’re living in decrepit housing, if they speak out about these conditions that are placing them at greater risk during a pandemic, they risk being fired, deported or blacklisted from the program,” she said. “And so it’s very concerning, because that puts them in a life or death position.” In addition to giving permanent resident status to all migrants, Gomez said No One is Illegal - Halifax/K’jipuktuk is calling for other recommendations from the MWAC report to be enacted at the provincial and federal levels, including ensuring social distancing and provision of personal protective equipment for all migrant workers and suspending work at farms where COVID-19 has been detected. The group also has an ongoing campaign calling on the provincial government to enact permanent health care access for all migrants and is “currently looking" at other calls to make to the provincial government. For one, Gomez said they would like to receive further information about the first temporary foreign worker that tested positive for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, noting the province speculating the worker got the virus from outside of Canada “could inflame xenophobic sentiment.” Gomez said she hopes the first case of a temporary foreign worker testing positive for COVID-19 puts the provincial government “in high gear” to be active in prioritizing the safety of migrant workers. “Migrant workers risk their lives to come work here — putting food on the table of Nova Scotians, contributing to the economy and providing for their families back home. The case that's been reported in Nova Scotia, as well as the deaths we've seen in Ontario farms drive that point home,” said Gomez. “Migrants are essential — essential members of our communities and essential workers. We need to do better by them." The Chronicle Herald reached out to the provincial government for further details about the temporary foreign worker that tested positive for COVID-19 and to see whether they are taking these recommendations into consideration. In an email statement, Minister of Agriculture Keith Colwell said temporary foreign workers “play a key labour role in the planting, harvesting and processing of Nova Scotia’s agriculture and seafood products” and that the program is administered by the federal government, which “sets standards” for working and housing conditions. “The Department of Agriculture has worked with stakeholders to support workplace protocols around COVID-19 both during the isolation period and on farms and in seafood processing plants,” Colwell added. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not respond prior to publication. RELATED: * Advocates call on Canadian government to update status for asylum seekers, migrant workers * Letter calls for free health-care access for uninsured Did this story inform or enhance your perspective on this subject? 1 being least likely, and 10 being most likely [1_] Submit feedback More provincial stories Sarah MacMaster of Maggie’s Place Family Resource Centre accepts a cheque from David Slade of Amherst’s Weston Bakeries plant. Weston Bakeries’ employees and corporate donated $54,984 to Maggie’s Place. Since 2010, employees at the Amherst plant and the Weston Seeding Stronger Communities Initiative have contributed $979,172 to various community organizations in the Amherst area. Amherst Weston Bakeries employees building a stronger community * Updated 1 hour ago RCMP logo. FILE/THE SOUTHERN GAZETTE Driver, 23, dead after single-car crash in Indian Brook * Updated 4 hours ago .. Province mulling plan for high-stakes online casino * Updated 5 hours ago Executive director Alec Stratford at the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers conference in 2019. Nova Scotia's mental health strategy needs refocusing, cash infusion: report * Updated 8 hours ago Court stock image. Cape Breton court report for Jan. 13, 2021 * Published 20 hours ago The Supreme Court has handed down a decision in a bankruptcy case against a former New Waterford resident. STOCK IMAGE Disciplinary panel finds former Port Hawkesbury-based lawyer guilty of professional misconduct * Updated 17 hours ago Industry executives suggest it will be a slow start to increasing sales values in 2021 as the salmon farming industry recovers from the COVID-induced collapse of the food service market. Letter calls on two N.S. Liberal cabinet ministers to enforce salmon farm leases * Updated 21 hours ago The three candidates vying to become the next leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party are, from left, Randy Delorey, Labi Kousoulis and Iain Rankin. - The Chronicle Herald / File More than 8,100 delegates to take part in Nova Scotia Liberal party's virtual convention * Updated 22 hours ago Get Your Weather By Day Recent Stories A For Lease sign outside a commercial property in downtown Halifax on Thursday. It's a good time to be building a warehouse in Halifax The Lanes at Membertou reopened this week to brisk business. Marcel Cote, the new general manager at the bowling facility, shows off the lanes. GREG MCNEIL • CAPE BRETON POST VIDEO: Lanes at Membertou reopen for the first time in almost a year A Truro Police Service vehicle. Truro man faces 70 charges relating to breaking and entering The music group, Colors of Africa, will be performing during the gala. Despite pandemic, My East Coast Experience forging ahead with online events and wider global audience Keegan McCarvill, a 2020 intern at PEI Analytical Laboratories. Applications open for RDÉE Prince Edward Island’s summer internship program Winter business is booming at Keltic Quay’s Cape Breton cottages in the village of Whycocomagh. CONTRIBUTED Precipitation, not pandemic to determine success of Cape Breton winter tourism FOR LAMBIE STORY: Tina Reilly is seen in the lobby of her Halifax apartment building Monday January 4, 2020. She is trying to speed up pardons for nearly 20 yr old convictions.... SEE LAMBIE STORY FOR MORE INFO TIM KROCHAK PHOTO ‘It gave me a bit of hope for the year ahead’: Anonymous donors help Halifax woman fighting for pardon Vanessa MacFarlane, a volunteer with the P.E.I. Scouts Council, has been posting on social media the past few weeks, trying to find volunteers for Scouts groups in Summerside and Kensington, with no luck. Scouts group in Summerside facing volunteer shortage Thirteen-year-old Alexis Evans recently donated her hair to The Canadian Cancer Society. Summerside teen donates two years’ worth of hair to cancer society Chris Pye, owner of P.E.I.’s Air Cab, is happy that recent provincial policy changes mean his cab drivers are able to deliver alcohol to Islanders and he’s hopeful Summerside will move to change its policies to allow the same. P.E.I. cabbies can legally deliver alcohol now, but Summerside’s new bylaw forbids it Sarah MacMaster of Maggie’s Place Family Resource Centre accepts a cheque from David Slade of Amherst’s Weston Bakeries plant. Weston Bakeries’ employees and corporate donated $54,984 to Maggie’s Place. Since 2010, employees at the Amherst plant and the Weston Seeding Stronger Communities Initiative have contributed $979,172 to various community organizations in the Amherst area. Amherst Weston Bakeries employees building a stronger community A new Mix-Tape Sunday cabaret series created by producer Craig Fair will be presented at the Trailside, beginning Jan. 17. Craig Fair presents Mix-Tape Sundays at the Trailside starting Jan. 17 The Chronicle Herald Tweets The Chronicle Herald logo Follow @chronicleherald Sign up for our newsletter ____________________ ____________________ Go Services * Advertise With Us * Business Directory * Herald Shop * Herald Archive * Herald in Education * Real Estate Portal * Library Services Customer Service * Subscribe * Gift Subscriptions * Digital Subscription FAQ * Pay Your Account * Herald E-Edition * All SaltWire E-Editions * Contact Us Terms & Policies * Privacy Policy * Terms of Use * Copyright * Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement * Terms of Service Other Links * Sudoku * Crosswords * Flyers * Jobs * TV Guide Sign up for our newsletter ____________________ ____________________ Go Services * Advertise With Us * Business Directory * Herald Shop * Herald Archive * Herald in Education * Real Estate Portal * Library Services Customer Service * Subscribe * Gift Subscriptions * Digital Subscription FAQ * Pay Your Account * Herald E-Edition * All SaltWire E-Editions * Contact Us Terms & Policies * Privacy Policy * Terms of Use * Copyright * Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement * Terms of Service Other Links * Sudoku * Crosswords * Flyers * Jobs * TV Guide SaltWire Network logo All rights reserved SaltWire Network © 2021 * AdChoices icon AdChoices