Offshore worker safety is paramount

By MPP Toby Barrett

The Haldimand Press

Ontario welcomes more than 20,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) each year. About 90% arrive between the months of January and July, leaving behind families in Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Their work is hard, as I can attest. However, the work is essential as TFWs pitch in to plant, tend, harvest, pack, and process our crops. All three levels of government realize many farmers consider offshore workers to be part of their family, and their health, safety, and well-being are of utmost importance in the face of COVID-19.