British Columbia: Agricultural Migrant Workers are Facing Displacement Due to Floods

Canada – The recent floods in British Columbia have caused shut down expressways and disconnected rail access to Canada’s most important port. It has disrupted the supply chain for goods and services. The province’s head has requested people not to accumulate food supplies. 

On Thursday night, roughly 17,000 people were displaced from their homes, with almost 10,000 properties confronting evacuation alerts. 

This late spring, the overwhelming flood followed by enormous wildfire in the territory cut through British Columbia’s interior district and destroyed one small town, Lytton.

Around 150 temporary migrant workers had to empty nine ranches close to Chilliwack and Abbotsford because of flooding, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries stated. 

Analysts say the province attracts more than 10,000 migrant labourers from nations like Guatemala and Mexico every year. However, more measures are required to secure a workforce in British Columbia as workers are experiencing hard times due to the flooding.

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A report from the ministry stated that “All labourers are safe in shelters either in farms or centres made for evacuees”.

2021 has been challenging for migrant labourers in the farming area who have confronted restraints because of the coronavirus pandemic, impacts of rapidly spreading wildfires, extreme heat and currently the floods.

The migrant agricultural workers are worried about their health, future work and wages due to the flooding in the region.

Gas Stations in parts of British Columbia have gone dry amid panic buying as citizens witnessed the shutting of highways due to flood that has impacted the fuel infrastructure. 

the deputy premier of British Columbia, Mike Farnworth, said, “While this catastrophic storm has passed, the aftermaths of this disaster will be amidst us for some period,” moreover, measures have been taken to manage the commercial traffic, to function our supply chains further smoothly. “The scale of the floods is pushing the province to take extraordinary steps”, he added.