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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 4, 20 19 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Steve Foreman Regional Director of Media Holly Chriss Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Iouliana Polar Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Production Shelli Harrison Halton Media General Manager Vicki Dillane CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 77 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, con- dense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncana- dianchampion.com or call 905- 234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA EDITORIAL Xavier Carmona hasn't seen his family in 17 years. That's because, for all that time, this migrant farmwork- er has worked in Canada picking fruit. Other than miss- ing holidays and his children's milestones, what has he got to show for his labour? A hernia from the strawberry fields and carpal tunnel syndrome from pruning grape vines. Carmona came to Canada from Mexico as a tempo- rary foreign worker. Somehow, 17 years doesn't exactly sound temporary. Canada's TFW program covers seasonal agriculture workers, most of whom are low-wage workers, many of them in southern Ontario. There is news now that some welcome changes may be in sight for the thousands of migrant workers cleaning our hotel rooms, washing mushrooms and working our apple orchards. The feder- al government, after a review of the TFW program's "primary agriculture" stream, is planning to allow TFWs to work for any Canadian business approved to hire migrants. Previously, a TFW hired by Company A could work only for Company A, forcing many who were unhappy with the firm - whether because of withheld wages, un- delivered promises, cramped living conditions or 14- hour days no natural-born Canadian would put up with - to abscond and live in Canada illegally or go out in search of even more precarious work. The new ruling would allow workers to seek work within the sector they were hired in, making them less susceptible to abuse. Ottawa hasn't finalized the change. It is taking submissions until the end of July from in- terested parties. It is a step in the right direction, but it is a baby step. For one, the job switch is limited to one sector. What is required here is a top-to-bottom retooling of the foreign-workers program. Cleaning up the vermin- infested international recruitment process would be a big start. These recruiters take money from employers and career colleges to find bodies to pick beans or rear- ends to fill their chairs and illegally charge people in such countries as Mexico, Guatemala, India and the Philippines after filling them with promises to find them jobs or places in career colleges. The system is ripe for abuse: There are 60,000 va- cancies across Canada in the agriculture sector alone. That number will almost double by 2025, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says. The second step is to allow any foreign worker hired to work in Canada full permanent residence status and stop the pretense that these foreign workers are here temporarily. A lifetime is not temporary. "We are human beings," said Carmona, the Mexican migrant worker who's been here 17 years. "We deserve decent work, services and permanent status." His point is spot on: Migrants to Canada do not have access to health care, education or labour support be- cause of their temporary status and even though they're paying taxes. FOREIGN-WORKER CHANGES GOOD BUT MODEST STEP While many Halton resi- dents enjoy a high quality of life, there is an increas- ing number of residents working for low wages, re- sulting in debt, anxiety and health issues. Many Halton residents live on the mini- mum wage of $14 per hour. As such, this minimum- wage rate falls below Hal- ton's living wage to main- tain a standard quality of life. According to Communi- ty Development Halton, a living wage is a wage that provides a decent quality of life and allows workers to raise a family, be healthy and enjoy recreation, en- tertainment and culture. Halton's living wage was determined to be $17.95 per hour in 2016, which was cal- culated based on the needs of a family of four with two parents working full time. It accounts for expenses that families face on an an- nual basis, such as food, clothing, housing, child care, recreation and trans- portation. With the average work week being at 37.5 hours, this results in a difference of $7,700 per year between the minimum wage and liv- ing wage. Due to factors like unaffordable rental rates, expensive child-care costs, and inflation, the gap will continue to grow and strain Halton's social pro- grams. A living wage ensures that workers receive fair compensation and im- proves the quality of life and health of individuals. Living-wage employers ob- serve reduced absentee- ism, improved morale and productivity, and de- creased turnover rates. The community benefits from increased civic par- ticipation and local spend- ing, which stimulates the economy. To ensure a vi- brant and healthy commu- nity in Halton, govern- ments and local businesses must support workers with a wage that allows for the quality of life we all de- serve. Tyler Moon is the senior manager of community impact for United Way Halton & Hamilton, on behalf of the Halton Pover- ty Roundtable. MINIMUM WAGE, LIVING WAGE DISPARITY IN HALTON GAP CONTINUES TO GROW, WRITES TYLER MOON SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT THEIFP.CA TYLER MOON Column