Local mayors ask government to take charge of quarantine for offshore workers

By Mark Ribble

REGIONAL — Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald and Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos are among a group of local politicians who have reached out to the upper levels of government, hoping for some help with the influx of offshore workers over the next several weeks.

Tecumseh Mayor, and Essex County Warden, Gary McNamara, has also signed the letter, which has been sent to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As of Monday the group hadn’t received a response from either office, but they hope to get some communication this week.

At the root of the letter is the steady influx of offshore workers who are arriving from other countries, and who is responsible for making sure they properly quarantine upon arrival.

There are approximately 66,000 foreign farm workers working across Canada.

In Windsor-Essex, several hundred workers have already arrived with more to come. “

There’s no one in charge of making sure these workers are safe,” said MacDonald. “It’s a federal program and nobody wants to oversee it.”

She was quick to point out that they are not interested in targeting the farms or the workers.

“This is an upper level of government responsibility,” she added. “We know the value of this program.”

MacDonald stressed that they need to be able to protect those workers and the community in which they are going to live.

“Many are finding it difficult to get tested before they come here,” she said.

The mayors collectively believe that the municipalities don’t have the manpower to enforce quarantining and that law enforcement is tapped out.

“This falls on them to make sure they follow up with these workers,” said MacDonald. “They need arms-length oversight. Someone needs to be in charge of checking on them and making sure they are okay, they have food, comfort and interaction.”