Media release: migrant support organization No one is illegal – Halifax/Kjipuktuk (NOII-Hfx) released the results of an informal poll asking migrant workers in Nova Scotia about the key changes that they would like to see at the provincial level. The results of the poll are being released in the lead up to the upcoming provincial election on August 17th.
SInce at least late February migrant justice advocates and health experts have been asking the province to implement specific measures ensure that migrants, including people without migration status, refugee claimants, international students and migrant workers, all have full access to the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting the province to pay attention continues to be an uphill battle.
Media release: In January 2021, Dr. Strang indicated that migrant workers would be included in Phase 2 of the provincial COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan. This was based on the recognition that migrant workers living in congregate settings are a vulnerable population in Nova Scotia. Moreover, the province’s vaccine plan prioritizes essential workers. However, the Working Group estimates that the majority of migrant workers have not yet been able to receive their first dose of the vaccine due to a number of barriers in the province’s current vaccine plan that make it especially difficult for them to do so.
Open letter to the NS government: We are writing to express our concerns about the lack of physical access to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food for migrant workers in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, including those in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program, while in quarantine. These concerns are based on regular accounts we have been receiving from Jamaican and Mexican migrant workers.