However, a migrant advocate group believes justice was not achieved
An Ontario farm has been ordered to pay a $125,000 fine after they pleaded guilty to the death of a migrant worker due to COVID-19. The employee died in June 2020 at the time when 200 workers of the farm tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report from the CBC.
Based on the agreed statement of facts between the farm and the Labour Ministry, the workers had been bedridden for several days in the bunkhouse he lived in, which at the time of the 2020 outbreak, held up to 50 men.
According to the statement, the victim showed symptoms of COVID-19 but was not isolated from the rest of the workers.
"The employer failed to take the reasonable precaution of isolating COVID-19 symptomatic workers from other workers to protect workers from the transmission of COVID-19 at the workplace," the statement read as quoted by CBC.
In addition, the employers did not consistently implement COVID-19 screening and workers did not report symptoms supervisors. If they did, they were not properly passed on to management.
"Supervisors only communicated that workers had symptoms if the supervisor felt it was necessary, meaning if the symptoms were persistent or required medical attention," read the statement.
According to the CBC report, the farm group had faced 20 charges following in an inspection of the provincial Labour Ministry in September.
The company eventually pleaded guilty to one count of failing to take precautions to protect employees and was fined $125,000.
Read more: Ontario invests $6 million to fight workplace cancers, illnesses
'No justice done here'
Meanwhile, Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, expressed their dissatisfaction over the treatment of workers in Canada.
According to Hussan, the fine imposed against the Ontario farm was a "slap on the wrist" and will only go to the municipality.
For the workers, they will receive no reparations over the matter, said the official.
"There is no justice done here," said Hussan in a statement. "These fines are just the cost of doing business to them."
"Canada has failed to protect the migrant workers who fed us and took care of us during the pandemic. The only way to establish fairness is to support equal rights for migrants by granting permanent residency so that they can defend themselves against abusive employers," added Hussan.
