The notion of “migrant workers” conjures distant images of The Great Depression, men riding the rails in search of farm-based employment. Surprisingly, the concept – minus the gypsy-like job seekers on boxcars – is still in use today.
In fact, it’s alive and well – right in our backyard.
“We’ll hire 11 workers from Mexico this year,” says Jordan McKay of Scugog’s Willowtree Farms. “Some arrived in May and stay until October, but others find the spring and fall weather too cold, and just work the summer months.”
The government-regulated “FARMS” (Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services) program provides a conduit between prospective labourers from a lengthy list of countries and local employers like Willowtree Farms.
“We registered with FARMS several years ago after documenting difficulty finding workers in our industry,” Jordan explains. “Most North Americans don’t want that kind of work: 12-13 hour days through the heat of the summer, planting, picking, working in the fields. With 120 acres planted, we need the hands.”
Willowtree Farms began humbly with Rod and Marlene McKay’s purchasing the property as a dairy farm in 1969.
The McKay family, owners of Willowtree Farm, from left, Jordan, Marlene,
Rod, Kelty and Alex.
“My mother had a background farming strawberries, so they planted a patch. Their roadside stand expanded into the garage, then ultimately became the store you saw coming in from Highway 7A,” says Jordan.
Both the fields and the storefront have diversified considerably since those early days, maintaining a focus on local products. The store added meats from other Scugog-area farms. Nearby Nature’s Bounty Farms contributed apples. Other fruits like raspberries and melons, as well as crops like tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, and garlic have joined the fields’ original tenant.
Jordan cites this diversity for one element of Willowtree’s popularity among Mexican farmhands. “They enjoy the variety working here offers them,” he explains. “At some farms, they’d work only a single crop.”
Another aspect, which has seen a number of the same workers return through multiple seasons, is their onsite living conditions.“That’s another important area handled by FARMS, beyond the groundwork of coordinating flights and preparing work visas. They stringently inspect and monitor the workers’ housing”.
“We go well beyond the laws’ basic requirements. We’ve installed a free phone line to Mexico so our guys can call home, as well as Spanish-language satellite tv. We include them in staff events while they’re here.”
During their time in Canada, the workers, Jordan says, earn a very comfortable living by Mexican standards. “They’re excited to work hard, knowing their wages help provide a better life for their families back home. That income allows them to pay for improved health care and university education.”
Jordan McKay in the field with four Mexican workers, some who have been
coming to Willowtree Farm for the past 12 years.
The eleven men come from very different – perhaps even surprising – backgrounds. “Some are farmers or general labourers back home. But we also have a contractor, a college teacher, fisherman, and a cook. Those diverse backgrounds,” he says, “only enrich their contributions at Willowtree”.
“They’re very resourceful people, many very mechanical. They have great intuitive sense when it comes to fixing problems,” he adds.
Language has not proven to be a barrier; in fact, Jordan names the workers’ culture as one of the benefits his family has enjoyed over the years.
“We’ve learned some Spanish over time, and often find that demonstrations and pictures work well when we’re dealing with more sophisticated concepts. We’ve absorbed some of their culinary skills, too!”
Jordan broaches the potentially explosive topic of Canadian attitudes toward importing foreign workers.
“It may hold a negative connotation in some circles, the idea of bringing in people from elsewhere, but it truly is a positive. These workers do excellent quality work, and their contribution helps to keep the retail cost of produce down. It’s an arrangement with benefits for worker, employer, and consumer.”
By Scott Mercer
Focus on Scugog
