The Editor:
Re: B.C. society sheds light on 'disposable' foreign workers in Coquitlam photo show (Jan. 2, 2025)
I read this article with great interest because I have volunteered for over 10 years in Abbotsford with a church-based friendship program called Centro de Amistad to help local area Latino farm workers.
And there are many in our region.
I am very familiar with their lifestyle in their residences after many visits to various homes where they are often in crowded dormitory-style into houses, with up to 28 workers in one large house.
Their only chance at privacy is the bathroom.
Cooking their food means to compete for a turn to use a burner on the stove.
Only one small part of the fridge is their area.
You get the idea.
It's only a few small steps up the ladder from slave labour and, hopefully, their emotional and physical health will be sustained to be productive workers to fulfill contract requirements until they can have a mid-contract "vacation" to go home for a short time to catch up with the life of their families.
Really, should going home be called a "vacation?"
These are a few things to keep in mind next time you see a farm worker shopping for groceries or walking down the street wearing a ball cap and with a backpack.
Most of us Canadians take them for granted as they do the grunt work, which allows us to have an easier life.
- Albert Janzen, Abbotsford
