Media Releases and Opportunities
» Go to news mainMedia opportunity: Dalhousie University researchers find migrant workers in Nova Scotia face discrimination, overcrowded housing and wage theft, but also receive support from their home countries in addressing mistreatment
A new study by Dalhousie University researchers suggests that temporary foreign workers in Nova Scotia experienced overcrowded housing, wage theft, discrimination and difficulty accessing health care despite regulations meant to address some of these issues.
The report, led by Dr. Raluca Bejan in Dal's School of Social Work and researchers from St. Thomas University , also found that many of the migrant workers surveyed said they did not have to pay high rents, were able to switch jobs if needed, enjoyed the collegiality of their co-workers and had help from their home states in the examination of occupational mistreatment.
Falling Short: Troubles with the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Nova Scotia is the third community report released by the Migrant Workers in the Canadian Maritimes Partnership, and was funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. It is being published today in collaboration with the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre and the Cooper Institute.
Researchers interviewed 15 workers from Mexico, all but one of whom were employed under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). Many said they had to contend with overcrowded accommodations, inadequate pay, lack of health care, and poor to little safety training. Some reported living with 22 people in a home meant for 14, while others said up to 50 people crowded into one lodging without sufficient washrooms or kitchen facilities.
Dr. Bejan is available to discuss the study's findings, recommendations for the provincial and federal governments and the need to enforce existing regulations designed to ensure the health and safety of temporary foreign workers.
-30-
Media contact:
Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca
Recent News
- Media opportunity: Being involved in extracurricular activities really does matter when it comes to 'mattering': Dalhousie University research
- Media opportunity: Podcast by Dalhousie researcher and Halifax photographer looks at barriers to Nova Scotia's coastline, decreasing access to waterfronts and problems with litter, marine debris in public coastal areas
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University researcher pioneers new cancer treatment ‑‑ cutting‑edge CAR‑T cell therapy
- Media opportunity: Research sheds light on the difficulty temporary foreign workers can face in securing permanent residency in P.E.I.
- Media opportunity: World's largest stores of unfrozen freshwater projected to warm and affect cold‑water habitats, geothermal energy resources and drinking water quality : Dalhousie University research
- Media release: Dalhousie University research reveals conservation benefits are doubled for reef sharks and rays in fully protected marine areas that also have strong fisheries management
- Media release: New program partners Dalhousie researcher and IWK Health to tackle violence against women
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University researchers and an international team identify new strain of mpox virus in Africa that can spread through heterosexual sex and community contact
Comments
comments powered by Disqus