Mayors frustrated over lack of testing

By Mark Ribble

LEAMINGTON/KINGSVILLE — Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald is growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of cooperation from some agri-farms in the area.

She was hoping the arrival of Ontario’s Emergency Medical Assistance Team (EMAT) in the area last week would help boost the local effort and so far it has helped.

The help she really wants is for the government to mandate testing as a condition of employment in the agri-food sector.

Less than one-third of the farms in Windsor-Essex have been tested. MacDonald says that’s not good enough and has asked the province to mandate it.

“As a condition of employment, they would not be able to work unless tested,” she said.

This would isolate positive cases and allow negative cases to keep working until the positive cases become negative.

“This would include all agri-food workers, not just those placed by the government programs,” she said. “Anyone working through an agency and hopping from farm-to-farm would also be included.” This would also cover any agri-food employees living in the community.

Mayor MacDonald spoke with Premier Doug Ford late last week and requested help in getting that segment of the community in line with testing.

“We’re going to just keep circling the drain if we can’t get everyone tested,” she said.

Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos, agrees with MacDonald.

“The arrival of the EMAT team allows us to support the workers with the care they need and deal with any underlying symptoms,” he said.

Santos is with MacDonald on the issue of testing, saying he is pushing for testing to be a requirement of the job.

MacDonald believes that many of the farms have cooperated in getting the on-site testing done for their employees, but many more have not.

She also believes that mandatory testing would allow the testing to be completed much quicker than the current method of waiting for permission.

MacDonald explained to the Premier that it was frustrating that it’s mandatory for her to get a test to go visit her mother in long-term care, but it’s considered against the Charter of Rights for farm workers to be tested who work in close quarters.

“We’re not picking on the farm workers,” she said. “We’re trying to keep everyone safe — including them.”

She explained that she doesn’t want there to be a stigmatization of the farm workers from the rest of the community. She also believes that the manufacturing sector should be looking at the same mandate.

The EMAT arrived on scene to help and coach the local Ontario Health and EMS team that has been going from farm to farm, testing those who agree to be tested.

Unlike the previous emergency team sent by the province, the EMAT is made up of medical professionals. This team was the group who led the quarantine and repatriation of Canadian citizens who were stranded abroad and on cruise ships when the pandemic began. They are also the same team that led the fight against SARS in the province about eight years ago.

“They’ve been a great help in co-ordinating efforts locally and that has allowed us to re-adjust our focus back to the assessment centre,” said Santos.

On-farm testing continues and local officials are re-opening the Agri-food Assessment Centre at the former Sherk complex gymnasium this week.

Locally, positive test results continue to come in with high daily numbers, compared to a month ago, when they appeared to be tailing off.

The mayors hope that the presence of the EMAT and possible government mandates will help curtail the virus and eventually reduce the numbers in this area.