WSIB may pay out millions to injured temporary foreign workers

'These are some of the most vulnerable people,' agency head says

- GHADA ALSHARIF

Syed Hussan of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, says many injured migrant workers are "forced to leave the country," and are unlikely to complain about injury or illness for fear of deportation.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board could pay out millions in retroactive compensation to injured temporary foreign workers as it re-examines 50 claims filed by migrant workers since 2007.

The WSIB on Wednesday said it is revamping how it compensates injured migrant workers and is implementing a new foreign agricultural worker strategy “that emphasizes recovery and return to work in Ontario” for the workers.

“These are people who come to work our farms, grow our food and contribute to our economy,” said WSIB president Jeff Lang in a statement.

“We expect the payments could be just over $10 million.”

Thousands of migrant workers leave their homes and families each year to toil on Canadian farms, contributing to an industry that makes up more than seven per cent of Canada’s GDP. Ontario’s fruit and vegetable sectors alone generate more than $4.2 billion annually in economic activity, representing more than a third of Canada’s total production, according to the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

As Canada cements its place as the world’s fifth-largest agricultural exporter, the government expects to meet a lofty target of $95 billion in agri-food exports by 2028, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a $39-billion increase from 2016 when agri-food exports amounted to $56 billion.