Food donations are being sought to help Caribbean and Spanish-speaking migrant workers in the Leamington area, many who are suffering from COVID-19.

A Labour Caravan and Food Drive is taking place on September 6 to raise non-perishable food, which will be taken to the workers, who are confined to their farms.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Racially Visible Members Committee is sponsoring the drive to help the farmers, many who are in isolation.

The group says that even though the workers have tested positive for the virus they are forced to work during the quarantine, rather than self-quarantine.

“The workers are forced to work on the farm and they are not allowed to leave the premises,” the group says in an online post.

They usually have to travel some distance from the farms to the local stores or restaurants to obtain their necessities.

Those with a partially- filled pantry are being encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to the Leamington farm worker’s food drive. Please email them at rvctoronto@gmail.com.

The group will get the food the ailing farmworkers.

About 10,000 farmworkers yearly leave their families at home to travel to Ontario to work in our agricultural and dairy farms. Most are from the Caribbean, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and other countries.

Some have been coming here for 20-years or more.

The workers have been, and still are, hard hit by COVID-19 because they live and work in close quarters.

 

 

It will make a gardener cry.

Concerned New Toronto residents are up in arms after massive planters with big blooms that decorate our sidewalks were destroyed with the plants inside rooted out and thrown on the road.

A number of photos have been posted on social media of some of the heavy black planters, which appeared to be hit by a vehicle, and others overturned on Lake Shore Blvd., with a trail of soil and plants left behind.

The destruction of the plants has angered many residents because they were “healthy and doing well this year.”

“This is vandalism, police could check nearby security videos,” suggests Louise Blazik. “Same type of people who leave their personal garbage scattered around our parks for others to pick up.”

Laura Baughman, a board member of the Lakeshore Viillage BIA, says a planter close to where she works was “totally destroyed” and she tried to save some of the flowers and plants that were inside.

“I too find it very upsetting,” she says. “The planter was on the road with a big dent in it. The plants were all over the place.”

Tree Gord Bowers reported that some of the planters were also wrecked near Thirtieth Street, where he lives.

Gail Parsons wrote that a number of planters were also targeted in Mimico.

Tommy Lundrigan observed that the planters may have likely been hit by a vehicle that kept on going.

“The plants were nice and healthy this year,” he says. “I am sad it (planter) has been destroyed.”

Katheerine MacLeod says the planters and plants are funded by the BIA.

The planters are maintained by the BIA, who will likely have to pay from their coffers to have them fixed or replaced.

“They are not cheap so it upset me when some of the planters along Lakeshore were damaged when contractors replaced some of our sidewalks,” she wrote.

She says the nursery who take care of the plants has been contacted and “we will have to wait and see.”

Police say they have had reports of some of the planters being overturned and are looking into it.