Migrant workers left with uncertain future amid B.C. wildfire evacuations
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Migrant workers who are key to British Columbia’s orchards, farms and ranches have been left with an uncertain future after a wildfire swept through the Okanagan near Summerland, forcing them to evacuate without knowing when they’ll be able to return.
Raul Gatica, with the advocacy organization Dignidad Migrante Society says his phone started ringing at about two a.m. last Saturday as the Bald Range fire spread and evacuation orders were issued.
By the end of the day, he estimates he spoke to about 50 workers who were forced out but are now facing a new set of problems as they go days without pay and evacuation orders stretch on.
He says temporary foreign workers are already paid poorly, and missing out on even a few days of work, while having to replace possessions and food left behind can have a significant impact.
