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Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ont. – June 15, 2016 – Activists from the Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA) attended the 8^th Annual Migrant Farm Worker Summer Festival and Information Fair this past weekend to support seasonal agriculture workers labouring in Ontario. 

Organized by the AWA and the Niagara Migrant Workers Interest Group, the annual event allows migrant farm workers to access health services, legal counsel, and health and safety training, as well as important information regarding labour rights and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

This year’s festival and fair also included a free meal, karaoke, dancing, and a raffle draw with prizes donated from various community sponsors. Hundreds of migrant workers and community members attended the event, held at the Niagara-On-The-Lake Community Centre. 

“Because Ontario’s migrant farm workers continue to face dangerous working conditions, lack access to adequate health care and transportation, and are unable to join a union, events like the Migrant Farm Worker Festival are essential to providing seasonal agriculture workers with vital services and training while they are working in Ontario,” says Stan Raper, the National Coordinator for the AWA. 

For over a decade, UFCW Canada has worked tirelessly with the AWA in the ongoing struggle to secure basic human rights for agriculture workers across Canada. The AWA has more than 12,000 members and operates multiple support centres where agriculture workers can gain access to free training, legal representation, and health and safety services.