Migrant Worker Outreach Program

Horizons has led the “Migrant Worker Outreach Program” in Northumberland County for over 20 years. The program continuously provides migrant workers with access to legal aid and health clinics, reduces isolation and exclusion through community and participatory activities, and collaborates with various stakeholders and organizations to ensure that the voices of migrant workers are heard and their rights and needs are respected. 

Hailing predominantly from rural Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean, over 70,000 migrant workers come to Canada to work within the agriculture industry, seeking opportunities and a better life for their families back home. Many are part of Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), which is designed to provide relief to farms facing a labour shortage. In other words, migrant workers come to work on farms across Canada to fill jobs that would otherwise go unfilled by Canadians.

Migrant workers also face many barriers and concerns while working in Canada, as Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), detailed in a report they released in 2019 highlighting that among the key issues raised by migrant workers were concerns about enforcement of labour laws; harassment, abuse,  and punishment or retribution for speaking out; barriers to exercising rights; inadequate working or living arrangements; and, incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information about program conditions, employer responsibilities, employee rights, and entitlements as a foreign worker.

Over the last few years, Horizons has seen an increase in the number of migrant workers who need support, as well as an increase in workers who are here for over 12 months; some with up to two-year contracts in different agricultural streams. To fully support this population and help combat any barriers they may face during their time in Northumberland County, our program will continue to build community and promote autonomy, ensuring workers feel supported in every aspect. This will be done through:

• Facilitating traditional holidays celebrated in Central America and the Caribbean, including Dia de Muertos.
• Providing welcome kits upon arrival, full of essential food and hygiene items, as well as new PPE, including work boots.
• Raising awareness of the vital role migrant workers have in our food system by increasing presentations to community members, clubs, and local organizations.
• Expanding our tax support to include workshops on financial literacy in English and Spanish, as banking, especially mobile banking, is not accessible for workers who do not speak English.
• Re-structuring our monthly events to information fairs, where support providers, agencies, and community programs can be present, and workers can better understand what is available to them within the community.
• Partnering with local organizations to extend their services to migrant agricultural workers, including food banks and cultural groups.
• Continuing our partnerships with Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) and the Northumberland Community Legal Centre to provide occupational health and safety information and free legal support to workers.
• Providing workers with free, over-the-phone mental health support when needed, and more!