 So just to walk you through what we're going to be doing today from welcoming you all. I also want to do a land acknowledgement very quickly if you don't mind. Then we'll introduce, I will introduce the speakers one at a time. Then we're going to have an open mic discussion reflection. And then we're going to talk all together as well about actions for moving forward. And then if we have time and I say if we have time because you can see there's quite a little bit of of items on the agenda in two hours that go very, very quickly. But that's what is going to happen. Okay. Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting today on the traditional territories of the indigenous people across Turtle Island. And we thank them for allowing us to meet and learn together on their territories. This is not an easy land acknowledgement today as we all probably are aware of the stories that are coming out in the news in terms of the finding of the mass graves of children who died during the school that is not an easy, this is not an easy time for all of us. So we want to acknowledge that to the original caretakers of this land on which we stand, I acknowledge the land of the Huron Wendat, the pattern, the Seneca, and most recently the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory is covered by the dish with one spoon wampum bell covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Ojibwe and ally nations to peacefully share and care for the lands and resources are on the Great Lakes, where I am right now. To think and reflect of the land and the territories from where you are joining us in this meeting and think and reflect on the people, the creation that was there before the arrival of Europeans. This year for thousands of years before us across Turtle Island, we honor the struggles and their lives and the lives of those who gave themselves for it. For those here today, we acknowledge the ancestors beneath our feet and we acknowledge the land. On the ground we can hear them, the Cree, the Meti, the Denne, the Soto and the Anishinaabe, the Dakota and Lakota nations, the Inuit, the Blackfoot, the Inu, and all nations that came before us, and those yet to come. The affinity of footsteps of those who long called this land home, the unfolding of bundles, the undoing of colonization, and the opening of this land to allow treaty to come alive. We affirm our relationship to each other and to the land. We acknowledge and pay respect to the indigenous nations and ancestors of this land. Once again, I acknowledge the land of the Huron Wenda, the Patan, the Seneca, and most recently the Mississaugas have the credit of First Nation. These territories covered by the dish with one spoon, one panbell covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Ojibwe, and ally nations to peacefully share and care for the lands and resources around the Great Lakes where I am right now. I'd like to call on, at this moment I'd like to call on Connie, if you would please introduce our friends. I'd like to start by saying thank you so much for joining us, you know, this afternoon. This is the last of the series of our webinars. And for this afternoon, I would like to give, I would say special welcome to our friends from Service Canada who are joining us. Mika, Mika Dineski, she's the service manager at the program delivery delivery branch at Service Canada, Ontario region. We also have with us today, Hannah, Hannah Kutanko, she's a senior officer with a program development officer also Service Canada, Ontario region, and Mark Kim, also within with the same, you know, branch. The program delivery branch. So welcome, folks, and thank you for taking the time to join us and listen to our partners this afternoon. I was also wondering, Connie, if you could take maybe a couple of minutes just to offer some general comment on an introduction of the program that we have done in the past six months. And these webinars, as you all know, is the last one in a series of webinars that we've done, starting in February. And then we will proceed with with the speakers and I'll introduce the speakers one at a time. I ask you all for your patience and understanding as you know just just hung on to your questions or if you want to ask questions you can write them on the chat as well. If not just hang on to your questions and then after the speakers there will be time for each and every one of you, hopefully to be able to speak and to ask questions or make comments. So Connie. Yes. Thank you again Alfredo. Actually, for today's, you know, webinar just before the brief background I just wanted to say that one, and this is our code and code report back to the community in terms of, you know, the work that we've done and the achievements, but also the challenges, you know, over the last six months. So in December, 2020, Kairos receive, receive 2.1 million funding from the federal government to support temporary foreign workers in Canada, particularly those in, you know, in the farms. To men and women who labor, you know, the fields to ensure that we have continuous access to food and food security. So with the 2.1 million grant, we were able to partner with about 14 community organizations across Ontario. And with this, you know, 14 community partners, it's actually equivalent to about 50 other organizations collaborating with our partners in delivering support and services to migrant farm workers. So with this project, we objectives of this project, one is to provide accurate information, government source information to arriving temporary for workers, particularly those working in the farms about COVID-19. Sorry. Providing them support and services. Again, during COVID-19 when, you know, they are not able to access support and services that are not available to temporary farm workers. And in that, you know, objectives, we were able to provide emergency housing, support food delivery, and also welcome bags that contains personal PPEs and personal hygiene and sanitation products and also some snacks and food. We're also able to provide referrals and accompany, you know, workers to be able to access services and benefits that they are entitled to while working in Canada. So from December 17 to tomorrow, which is the project timeline, December 17 to June 30, we were able to really reach out to a lot of migrant farm workers and I would say about 25,000. Sometime, you know, in the beginning of May, we were able to include in our service, airport support services. So, in May, we were able to provide staffing at the airport to meet and support migrant farm workers arriving to accompany them as they line up, you know, for switch health that COVID testing upon arrival, pick up the kids, you know, for the eighth day mark of their quarantine and provide them with information that they need while in quarantine, but at the same time connect them with our community partners to whichever destination they are going. As I've mentioned before, we're kind of spread out across Ontario and also in the three maritime provinces. So this is, you know, the gist of, you know, the project and as we as we go into, you know, listening to our partners, we'd be able to see more and hear more what they've done, the work that they're, you know, the achievements and also how many workers they've reached out to during the six months. So, hold on. And yeah. And again, thank you for, for joining us. Hey, so I want to once again welcome each and every one of you, especially those who join us after we started. I'm glad to see you all here. Thank you so much for being with us. It's great to see you. This is the last webinar in the series of we've been doing. So I'm going to start by introducing our first speaker and each and every one of you, the speakers will have about six to seven minutes to speak. And then after that, we'll open it up for the participants to ask any questions or comments with regards to what you just heard. Next with Nate Dirks. I'm hope I'm not mispronouncing your name. Nate, I apologize for that. But in any case, they, Nate works with the South Ridge Community Church in Niagara, Ontario. He's married to Taren and they had three boys. They own the South Ridge Community Church in the area region. They own a byline at their byline location they run the Caribbean workers program with which connects with three approximately 300 migrant farm workers, mostly coming from Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, St. Vincent, Dominica and Granada. And then we're going to go to the Caribbean islands. With any further ado, I'm going to pass the mic to to Nate. Yeah, thanks so much, Alfredo and thanks everybody it's great to be together here and it's just it's always good moments to be able to express solidarity around our friends and the the migrant worker community and just appreciate being able to see the different people doing different work. So I'm just glad to be a part of that here today. And it's just to let you know what what we're, what we've been privileged enough to be able to do through our community, and, and also how we just been able to receive support for that, even through Kairos this year which has just been fantastic. So a little bit of background as Alfredo just gave some context for where we're located in Southern Ontario, and it's a large farming community around here. And the model that we have through our, through our Southridge Community Church has been to try to foster relationships with migrant farm workers were in proximity to where our were located in Vineland. And so there are thousands of workers in the in the region at large. And what we've realized is that we can focus on at least the 300 or so workers were in closest proximity to where we are as a community, that we were able to have the greatest amount of sort of efficacy and being able to connect with them and support their needs, because this particular part of our church is about 300 people as well. And so the way that the model that we have is basically to be able to try to foster individual and personal relationships with people from within our community. And so we have here obviously year round and our citizens here and, and living in the Vineland area and our part of our church. And the way that we do that is we have the expectation at our church is, is that if you're if you're hearing you're participating that that we're you're going to be a part of a group that will connect with a specific group of migrant farm workers. So you don't have to know all 300 guys but we're but we connect different small groups with different farmhouses so if it's a group of five guys for living at a farmhouse will foster relationship with about five or eight people from our church as well to specifically get to know them individually and it's obviously a tough process. It's not as easy as a friend that's saying hey starting to try to get to know each other and say hey we're your neighbors. It's not as easy as it would be possible to drop in some time and it takes years and years and so about seven years into it now we have a lot of really great established friendships and it looks like our migrant farm worker friends dropping by if you know if people have if their friends have a pool to drop by and be swimming after work they'll be barbecues. And it really is like creating extended family for our friends who don't necessarily have who don't have a lot of community supports around here like you'd hope that you'd be able to have in a place where you're in the majority of the year. So a lot of that just sort of sort of creates a really great relationship and within that, you know, we'll do sort of larger events as well throughout the years we'll do large dinners and barbecues and obviously we're talking outside of COVID and we'll speak a minute to what's happened during COVID, you know we'll do Niagara Falls nights and since we're relatively close Niagara Falls and there'll be concerts and on Father's Day we always do a bowling tournament where we rent out an entire bowling alley and everybody just has a bowling tournament together to celebrate the Fathers who spend time away from their kids a year after year. And within that responsive to those relationships that are then formed obviously then we see needs that our friends have and the relationship isn't based on need it's based on, these are relationships and friends, but as we get to know each other and we as there's mutual supports, we like family would do, we try to be responsive to some of the needs that our friends are experiencing. And some of them are obviously in the largest systemic challenges so they will realize that with you know health care as a challenge when our friends aren't in proximity to need. It's not confidential it's not available during times that work for them as farm workers so we have a clinic that's been set up through a provincially funded community health program that's set up in our church now that we run throughout the summer and connections through legal aid we do trying to grow some living conditions supports to work with farmers and not create more stigma but it's how we can work together to help improve living conditions locally as a newer one we're working on. And the social connection at large so we've set up what we call a Caribbean Center that's sort of a drop in center pool table, big screen and things like that to also help workers also not drink over but from different farms to get to know each other so that they're a larger community body and a more important body of people that are necessarily acknowledged and we want them to feel that and not feel isolated and like they're by themselves on their own farm as just a small group. So that's something that we try to do and to foster and with all of this. So through this, you know there's obviously different ways they're during cove it that it's been more challenging to foster the relationships out of respect and trying not to pass coven on to our friends who are in challenging living conditions a lot of the time and we haven't wanted to be people to have, you know, to disrespect both the farms and the farm workers in that way. And so we've tried to connect in different ways and in the midst of that it's just been really wonderful to have the support through through this funding through kairos and one of the things that are the thing that we're trying to do, a few thousand dollars that we're able to receive through kairos, especially during lockdown a few months ago, was the we're able to buy in bulk. You know the the 50 to 80 pound bags of rice and then the flour and different beans and brown sugar and sugar and things like that. So basically for our friends during the lockdown a lot of them would be, you know, coming in and then being in quarantine, and even beyond quarantine, the challenges of farm workers of leaving the farms, some of which are provincial regulations and some of which would actually be some of the rules that their own farmers would would be implementing on top of that would obviously make it difficult for them to leave and be able to receive everything they need. And so even though that they would have been receiving food. Sometimes it was insufficient or it wasn't exactly what our friends were looking for. And so in this way through the funding what we're able to do is just be able to buy just skids and skids worth of food, and then be able to bring these packages of different types of food to through these relationships so all of like the families would come pick up the food, and then go to their specific the farm that they've been connecting with, and drop off that food in ways that were COVID safe with the protocols. And so we just had a really great, great feedback from that and just a lot of appreciation from our friends, in terms of how that was able to help. And for us, just as I conclude, the, the way that we were able to. One of the ways that that helped is just the fact that it provided obviously the practical support that actual food, and it also helped to continue to be a part of the maintaining of relationships with our friends. During times where it's been difficult to show support and it was just one way to show solidarity, and to help to maintain our friendships and to say hey you know even when times are tough. You know we're here for you and, yeah, and we and there's a larger community that's looking out for you as well and being able to say this didn't just come from us. This came from a larger community at large we're thinking about you and we know that that was well appreciated and they felt that solidarity. So yeah so that's a little bit about ourselves and just appreciate being able to be a part of this larger community. That's great thank you so much Nate. That's amazing. Perfect timing. Really appreciate that and I like to introduce our next speaker is just about a more. Again I'm hoping I'm not mispronouncing your name just about. She is the project coordinator at Filipino Canadian Community of New Brunswick. She immigrated to New Brunswick in 2016. She has a BA in computer science and will recently be, we will recently be graduating, or shortly be graduating from advanced system management and cybersecurity. That sounds pretty impressive. And she's being in this role as coordinator, you know, enjoying this work as coordinator because it gives an opportunity to give back to the community. So, just about I'm going to stop here and I'm going to let you do the talking. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for that introduction Alfredo. Yes, so I am actually a new project coordinator to to the organization, which is at CND or Filipino Canadian Community of New Brunswick. I started working there in December, and it's not new to me that the organization has been like helping temporary form workers but mainly are focusing on Filipinos. And with this project, it's given us a privilege to help not just Filipinos, but other temporary form workers as well of different nationalities and we are so grateful and we were so happy that we were able to connect to other settlement services as well and connect them settlement services, and also assist them with their needs. And with this program, we were able to reach out to 600 migrant workers. And the good thing about this program as well is that we were able to help not just the existing migrant workers here, but we were also able to help new commerce. We were able to provide food, like, especially to those who really need or who are in need of culturally appropriate food. So, when we were able to deliver the food to them, all of them were really happy and excited that they were able to eat the kind of food that they were used to. And the biggest challenge I'd say that we have in this project is we're only around. Well, there's only two coordinators here in this organization, and we have to travel the entire province of New Brunswick just recently last weekend. We traveled around 1000 kilometers to reach out to 48 migrant workers and that's different places not just in one town or one city, but it's like traveling from southeast west, you name it. And it's a very fulfilling project, because it's not just we're working with temporary form workers, but we were able to enhance our network our connections with settlement services with other organizations, and as well as Cairo. So, it's been a privilege, and I am so grateful that we are part of this project. We are having internet troubles. I'm sure Alfredo will be back in a moment. Okay. Do you want to introduce our next speaker. I think Sandy was to be next. I could introduce Sandy. We can introduction from anyone thank you. Welcome is the program coordinator at unknown neighbors, which Sandy's office is in very. She can tell you a bit more about the range of unknown neighbors we were very happy unknown neighbors is one of the newest organizations in our project and social I'm sure she'll tell you a bit about that and Sandy is doing some masters or doctorate level research, as well as doing this work. So sorry I didn't have all those details in front of me Sandy I'll turn it over to you. No worries thank you so much it is my master's in social justice. And thank you very much for the introduction. I actually wanted to share my screen is that okay. Yes, that should be fine. And you can all see my screen. Yes. Perfect. Thank you. So, I am Sandy Falcon and I am the project coordinator of unknown neighbors. So, unknown neighbors was the title of a simple county Kairos interactive gathering back in October 2017 which was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Barry. The gathering consisted of presentations and workshops focused on migrant workers in Simcoe County, and was attended by 40 people. The idea was to shed light on the presence of migrant workers living and working in Simcoe County, and to engage residents and exercises to help them understand how migrant workers are treated and respected in their work environments. So, I'll share a few of our highlights, although we do have so many of them, but I'm trying to respect everybody's time, but unknown neighbors has so far reached 244 workers in 16 weeks, and that count is increasing week by week. Coordination and collaboration with South Georgian Bay Health Center to get first dose vaccines to 11 workers. Unknown neighbors was able to achieve incredible progress during a provincial lockdown and COVID restrictions. Unlike our fellow organizations we did not have years of collaboration and relationships with the community prior to the project. Unknown neighbors became a group in March and has managed to make some significant impact on the Simcoe and gray Bruce counties which is where we're focused. We even fostered relationships, not only in our community but also in the organizations that we work with and unknown neighbors has proven that we are needed and we intend to fill the need for our farm friends and migrant worker friends. The positive effects so far in our community. Unknown neighbors have begun to establish a presence in Simcoe County. Today we've reached more and more farmers and their workers. We have started to earn the trust of the workers when we have assisted and through word of mouth amongst employers. We have also been able to connect with more employees. We have begun to earn the trust needed to collaborate with organizations that are willing and able to help extend our reach. Community impact beyond the lifespan of this project so unknown neighbors has established the service for a need that exists in Simcoe County. In the future we will continue to be present in the community and for our friends that use the connection to our organization. Unknown neighbors is now incorporated and awaiting charitable status approval so unknown neighbors is here to stay and that is all thanks to Kyros and and this project without them and the support and the connection and collaboration with all of the partners we we wouldn't be able to do the work that we've managed to accomplish up until now in such a short amount of time. So maintaining momentum and continuing to strengthen our collective work so we're going to continue our outreach in the community through social media and community newspaper. We did we were in the community newspaper and Simcoe.com. There will be continued collaboration and partnership with community organizations that can refer workers and employers looking for support. So we share our Facebook page and organizations such as the Barry families unite Facebook group and dress for success early and very they have also shared our posts from Facebook, which gives us a much bigger reach in the community. And so we went from reaching 323 people on Facebook, organically, once we got other organizations involved in one day, our post was shared over 1000 times amongst all of the people who were able to see it. And that was just in one day of sharing one of our posts. So that's been fantastic and I'm sure that we can continue that momentum. And lastly, just a little bit about who we are so Sandy Falcon that's myself I am the project court coordinator I work with two other part time project assistants. My name is Wilma Delo she speaks Filipino she is very connected in the very community, especially in the Filipino community and Ashley Earl she represents and finds more workers in the gray Bruce Collingwood area, and our steering committee, which is why we've been able to continuously grow and find more people and more connections is we work with Elaine and Dr Doug West from Simcoe County Kairos, and we are also connected to the Berry Hill farms in spring water, the Collingwood Public Library countryside United Farm Market. So we have very good connection so far and I am very confident that we will continue to grow. But again, as I mentioned before without the funding that we received, we wouldn't have been able to initiate the project the way that we did and make leaps and bounds, and we will continue to do so I am very confident of that. And that is all that I have. Thank you. Great. Thank you so much, Sandy and Shannon for jumping in you I guess you all noticed that I have difficulties with the internet just so you know there is a huge storm just happening to go by right now and you'll probably reach you at one point or another to those of you who are in Ontario, close to Toronto. So what happens hopefully the he won't interfere with the meeting so you should all be able to go to go ahead and continue with the meeting. I'm going to proceed that to before I introduce our next speaker. I like to remind you that thanks to the support also from the federal government through service Canada is that you know all of you partners have been able to do the work as well and Sandy was just recognizing that and I just wanted to add that recognition to, to the federal government for supporting this project for each and every one of us. Our next speaker is Stacy Gomez Stacy she is based in Nova Scotia. She works with no one is illegal, but I also know that she also works with another organization that is called breaking the silence in the in Nova Scotia, and with partners in Guatemala. Yes, Stacy herself will tell you a little bit more about the work she does. And Stacy if there's anything else that you would like to add with read with regards to the work you do here in Canada that'll be great. The mic is yours. And would it be possible for me to share some slides. I think I can. Okay, I say that. Perfect. Great. So yes. Hi everyone, it's really lovely to be here with you today to hear everything that everyone has been up to. And yeah, just to share a little bit from our, from our side of the country over here. So yes, as I mentioned, I'm with no one is legal Halifax, and specifically with our migrant workers program, and we're engaged in direct support with migrant workers as well as outreach and education and advocacy. And through this project funding we have most definitely been able to increase our capacity. So during this project, we've been connecting with workers from throughout Nova Scotia from Cape Breton to the south shore of Nova Scotia. And every day we hear from from new workers who are reaching out to us. So we've been able to reach out to over 1000 migrant workers in in the past, in the past four or five months. And yeah it's been quite intensive time for us. We're definitely a small team but yeah we have been really, you know, appreciative to be yet to be able to to access this funding that would otherwise not be available to our organization. And yeah so just to mention that so I'm going to share a few pictures just to share a little bit about what we've been up to. So as others mentioned, so we've been engaged in food support emergency food support to migrant workers, as well as providing welcome bags to migrant workers. And they're arriving here in Canada which is has information on their rights and as Connie mentioned, PPE as well as culturally relevant snacks. So I want to share a quote that we received from someone that I think highlights, you know, how, yeah how how this has been received. She writes, hope you're keeping safe. I came up in April, and I was in quarantine for 14 days. It was one of my worst times ever being locked down for so long. Most of all the food was awful because it wasn't the type of food that fix our culture. We could not wait to get out one day we received a care package from your organization, and was surprised that Jamaica St Mary banana chips was in it. Oh Lord, even though it was small, I had it for my dinner. It made my evening. Thank you so much and keep doing the good work that you are doing. So yes, it's been really lovely hearing directly from workers around the work that we've been up to. So I'll share a few quotes, as we as we share in this as we share with each other. And yes, definitely the issue of food access in quarantine has been one of the, one of the issues that we've seen and heard directly from migrant workers and advocated here in the province to improve. So as a result of some of the advocacy there have been some improvements made, but this is an ongoing issue that we continue to work around. And also want to show you some of these seedlings. So as part of our support, we wanted to provide some culturally relevant seedlings to migrant workers. And so these, the community members helped us to to grow these because we, including myself do not have any gardening experience. So that would be very difficult for us to do on our own and so the community support us supported us in that which was amazing. I think there was around like 50 volunteers or more who stepped up to to support us in these efforts and so this is the episode that we provided actually to migrant workers last week and it was lovely because even one group of workers who we hadn't met before, when we went, we do regular outreach and we took these on a regular outreach and they said yeah we came early, we came early to meet you and to get some plants. So that was really nice. And then, in addition, we've also been engaged in public education. So we had, this is one example of one of the events that we had it's called will you be my neighbor and it was a virtual conversation. On how we can create a more welcoming and inclusive community for migrant workers in Nova Scotia. So we're based here in Halifax but we are our work has been taking place throughout the province including in the south shore where there is. Yes, there are workers that are engaged in the Christmas tree sector. So this is a relationship that we have from. Yeah, from as of last year. And yeah we had this lovely event where a migrant worker his name is Felix, he spoke about his experiences living in, in, in the Lunenburg County in Nova Scotia and also Samuel Jess who is a pastor, who has been engaged in in, you know, fostering friendship with with migrant workers in that area. And they shared and had a lovely conversation about what can community members do to challenge the isolation that's faced by migrant workers. And as we know, like this has a significant impact on migrant worker mental health and general, you know, their, their experiences here in the province. We had also heard that there has been an uptick in racism here in Nova Scotia. I'm sure this is probably also the case elsewhere in terms of xenophobia around COVID-19 and migrant workers being blamed for the pandemic. And so these kind of events have been really important to open up conversations with community members around what are the experiences of migrant workers in that and how can we each. Yeah, how can we each step up to, to, yeah, to, to help the situation. So I wanted to share that photo and that's the poster from our event and we just, yeah, did lots of posturing for that. And besides that, something else that that we did was also during the, during the quarantine period. We did some intensive English exchanges with migrant workers. And we found that that really helped to foster community with migrant workers. So that was really lovely and opened up a space for workers to talk about issues like, like racism, that, as I mentioned, has we've seen increased during COVID-19. So yes, those are a few things I wanted to share. We also have a migrant support line where we regularly respond to questions around health around, there's sometimes questions around immigration, etc. And so yeah, that has been quite active as well and yeah, has been really important part of our outreach to, to migrant workers. So I'll just share, I guess a few more quotes. So this is from Mario, he says I'm very thankful for the care with which you, you've treated us. It's been a big help for us. It makes us feel like we are not so far away from our families. And another quote. I just want to say thank you very much, Stacy and the team honestly from the day I got here got this number I felt much different, like somebody really cares. Some someone at the end is looking out for we guys in so many ways, like checking in if you're okay welcome bags keeping us up to date on information things like that. It makes you feel like welcome feel like you really want to come back. If only if only everyone was like this, it would be so much better. So just a final quote. Good day my name is Alfredo I'm a migrant worker from Mexico I wanted to thank you for the help you've given us. I want to thank you for the workshops you've done online. They've been a big help. Thanks to these we can be informed on a number of things with these are doubts are clarified above all the workshop on the coven 19 vaccine. A lot of doubts we had were clarified we want to thank you also for the food support truly this was a big help. Yes, that brings me to something else. So we've definitely been doing a lot of work around vaccine access for migrant workers, including supporting migrant workers in in making their bookings accompaniment and interpretation during the vaccinations as well as advocacy around the provincial government can improve vaccine access for migrant workers and there's so many ongoing challenges and this is an ongoing area of work that we're focused around. The workshops that were mentioned we had two workshops around the vaccine, one in Spanish and one in English, the most recent one was last week where we had. Dr. Haas he's an infectious disease specialist, and also from Jamaica and that one was geared towards Caribbean migrant workers. And it's just definitely a gap that we're seeing here is is vaccine education that is accessible in the language of migrant workers and also culturally relevant. So for example, there's a two page document that the provincial government. I don't know if they provided it to migrant workers, but we've been doing education, and we know that kind of something written like that is not sufficient, because there are oftentimes like like literally barriers with literacy, for example. So, yeah, so we've been trying to find ways to, to, yeah, make this get this information to workers so that they can make an informed decision around the vaccine. And also we have, we've been doing workshops we did one last week and we have one tonight actually around migrant worker rights and COVID-19. So yeah, we've received lots of interest around this so that will be, that's something that I'm looking forward to, and we have a lawyer whose name is Donardo Jones is going to be giving that one in Patwa in English. Yeah, we're just trying to make our, our work as accessible as possible to migrant workers. And yeah, just, I look forward to what we can continue to do because we're definitely going to continue to be engaged in this in this work, we're in it for the long haul. Okay, thank you. Thanks a lot. Great. Thank you so much Stacy. And on that note, I just want to remind you that after our last speaker, which is coming next, just want to get your minds going. Everybody will have a chance to, to share if you will like to, and start thinking in terms of what were some of the projects for you. For example, something that had a positive effect on the work that you do, or something that you think will impact the community beyond the lifespan of this of this project. So just wanted to get your minds going. I just want to thank all the speakers for keeping, you know, the time is excellent. We're doing great time. It is always a concern when we don't have that much time and I want to introduce our last speaker for this afternoon. And just to remind you we'll do a little bit of open mic after Father Peter. Thank you so much for patiently waiting there Father Peter. I think that, you know, what can I say other than the fact that you've been a great supporter of the project and of migrant workers, even before, you know, the the empowering temporary foreign workers program started. I just want to thank you for that. And Father Peter is works at the Blessed Sacrament and seen them, seen actually Daniel parish in Ontario. Father Peter are going to leave it to you to introduce yourself if there's anything else that you want to share with with with the partners here. Mike is yours. Thanks. Thank you everyone. Yes. So, as Fredo said I work in this grant area grant county. And with us in this discussion is Fannie was at a step over the go ski, who is the coordinator for the project as well, out of simple. So, we represent a collection of different groups, I was doing my projects from a few years ago in Brent area. There was the friends of migrant workers in London. There's the Caribbean workers outreach program, and there were a collection of volunteers in Norfolk. So, what this unique project that way was proposed to us was to try to bring us together. So, I would say this was two phases and for us we, the first phase was the first three months getting together planning strategizing how to coordinate because we're covering also thousands of square kilometers and we, we all had our own little sectors or enclaves that we worked in, not that we weren't unfamiliar with each other but never working in a more integrated way so thanks to Cairo's into the funding the program. It gave us an opportunity to sort of channel all those resources human and financial and for the benefit of our migrant workers and Norfolk is is a big area Brent to an extent but Norfolk is a large a large area of thousands of migrant workers that are working the fields every year. So, our hands on work really started to take off in April of course because that's when most of the workers the bulk of the workers started to arrive. April May and even into June and there'll still be workers arriving, even as latest July and August. So, out of the program we were also able to establish the migrant worker Center for solidarity and simple, which was very important we needed a place. We needed a hub, if you will, where the migrant workers could congregate with the, with the Toronto neighbors organization TNO. We collaborated with that to have a presence. So, as I already, as it was mentioned pre COVID, things were different, you can have gatherings more individual sort of contacts. During COVID we had to kind of work around that COVID safety, and to be aware of that and not only for our safety of course but for the safety of the workers because I always tell people that, you know, they're more vulnerable than we are in a way because they're the ones living in congregate living. And as you could see with the with the outbreaks and we've had unfortunate deaths. This is the result right of their living situation still challenging. So, as I said this gave us a wider scope to outreach I think statistically we were able to reach about 6000 if I'm not mistaken, which about 700 had contact with our worker Center and simple. We also provided gift bags of PPE sanitizers packaged foods, other essentials toiletries, and we provided over 3000 gift bags and delivered them as well. Again, always taking safety into consideration. This who was also to foster those kind of important relationships we need in the community to make the people in the wider community aware of the presence of the migrant workers. And also, sorry, and also to develop a relationship ongoing with our farm working community or farmers. We always insist that with the farmers we're here to help we're here to support. We're going to be of assistance, whenever we can. So that's our, that was our aim and our goal. Most farmers were very receptive some you know I guess some might tend to be a little bit more protective of their, their territory so we always respect that in the end. We also cooperate it with the health units like Norfolk hold them in region branch region, the Grand River clinic as well. So we had different kind of cooperation and organize interaction with those groups. And our committee, if you will, it consisted of as I said myself, Fanny Restrepo Lennox Scarlett, Ella Haley Richard Tunstall, Eliseo Martel and what a little bit of CS was also our wonderful land lady who allowed us to have the space in Simcoe as well. So essentially in a nutshell this is the kind of short term immediate work that we're doing and yeah like we said we hope to continue to continue build on that and to follow up with the important contact to what's up to the social media. So it definitely gave us greater access and more wider scope of outreach than than in previous years. Thank you. Great and thank you so much for the Peter I was seeing some of the comments in there and people are obviously thanking you and others, and everyone actually in the project for the work and the dedication put, you know to making life a lot better and safer for my workers but also for the communities where they live and work. So we're going to take time now for you. Anyone, everyone to offer your comments to reactions to questions. As I was saying earlier, what are some of the positive effects that the work has had on you in the community. And what is what are some of the impacts that you think that this project has made that will go even beyond this this the lifespan of this project. The floor is open. I'm going to ask my kairos colleagues who are here with us today, Connie and Cheryl and, and, and Shannon, I see some, some good friends there, David who actually is partly responsible for putting together this webinar series who joined us today. I'm probably jailing is probably here as well I can't see everybody, but I'm going to ask you to please help me. In case I lose track of the hands I so caught his hands first but I also saw Tara's hand there so Connie would you go or will you want Tara to go. I'll go first. Yeah, because before we open the, you know, the, the conversation I just wanted to point out that all the five speakers and organizations that you know we heard from. And actually, they are representing about 16 and are 18 organizations community organizations. For example, when Nate was talking about the work in Niagara. And this is part of, you know, the migrant, the Niagara migrant workers initiative, or working group, which compose of four other organizations, the gateway Community Church, the Caribbean workers outreach program. The Niagara migrant workers welcome and of course, an AIDS group which is the South Ridge Community Church. And when, you know, when Sandy talked about the work of unknown neighbors and no neighbors is in partnership also with five other organizations as part of the steering community. And, and Father Peter, he mentioned, you know, the other members of the organizations that's part of the center for migrant workers solidarity and simple. The FCNB, the Filipino Community Associate Network in New Brunswick. Actually, they also have chapters in different cities and municipalities in in New Brunswick so when they are working and reaching out to migrant workers in the province, they mobilize this networks. In addition to partnering with community health groups with legal clinics service provider organizations and settlement organizations. So you can just, you know, imagine the breath of, you know, community organizations individuals and supporters collaborating in in reaching out and providing support to migrant workers in their respective localities or areas. So I just wanted to, yeah, I just wanted to point it. Great, and thanks Connie. So Tara, your hand was up so the mic is yours. Yeah, I just wanted to ask, do you collaborate with any organizations in Western Canada. I'm from BC, and, or do you collaborate with sanctuary which is for the health rights of migrants. Can I respond to that. Yes please I was going to say that sounds like it's a question for Connie, and you will. Yeah, go ahead Connie. Yes. So, as far as the micro justice program at Cairo's is concerned we club, we have the carousel network so we have a network member in BC, and you know we collaborate with them, we, we work on you know the migrant justice issues and reaching out to migrant workers in different localities across Canada, but specific to this project, our project coverage is quite specific to Ontario, and the three my time provinces, although there are service Canada partners in BC, as well. So I can refer you to, to mosaic amsa. And there is another one, oh, success, success is the organization that's providing support and services at the airport, welcoming migrant workers and accompanying them. And mosaic is similar to Cairo's that you know receiving funding from the federal government and then sharing this funding to community organizations in the province. Connie, I just wanted to add also Tara that you know lucky titles has been fortunate enough and blessed enough to be able to work with partners across across the land. So in most provinces and territories in fact here in this call you know I can see somebody in Manitoba, and it's part of the migrant worker solidarity network in Manitoba, and also a member of Cairo's Manitoba. That's Thomas Nova. And so there are partners over across the land, Cairo's collaborates with to be able to do this, this support and solidarity work to with and for migrant workers. So at any time, you know, outside of the webinar will be more than happy to continue the conversation with if any one of you to be able to continue building the network. I, I, I see a lot of hands up or is it just wishful thinking TNO, we'll go, we'll go to TNO. So I just wanted to say to all our partners in this project, whether Ontario or nationally, we partnered with and we did so much amazing, amazing, amazing work and I cannot believe, looking at our final reports as from TNO's point of view we touch 26,300 people within that five and a half months and and the staff who are on the line. And I think, just a full mention, you know, sometime traveling far and wide and to small remote places field might be physically tired but it's such a rewarding to connect and and I told you part of being this vaccination, and there are a lot of people around and giving the right information and resources in the simple language they were able to understand and make decision it's make a huge, huge difference and we strongly believe this project touch, not only the migrant workers the partners that we are working together. We had a pleasure working with Simcoe folks feathers with the father, the father Peter where they son a personal note or on a partnership level it's just a huge thing and and TNO being part of nationally and Ontario wide. And we had opportunity to build the capacity with our, you know, colleagues to give them the resources and sharing the resources to make it easier for. And I wanted to say, you know, it's like one more day of this project and not, you know, it's it's just being how many things that we could do it together it's amazing I just wanted to say on behalf of TNO even yesterday the one of the highlights I wanted to say is. We had our annual general meeting at yesterday evening. There were so many migrant workers were able to join and participate which I thought it was an opportunity for them to share their thought as a bigger broader level. And then you know, having them, you know, say, feel that they have a voice and in in people are listening. I thought that's one of the things I will say and then we have so many stories people shares and videos and all that. I just wanted to share to all of you as partnered in this project to federal government for funding this and then Cairo's to getting these older partners together, it's an amazing work done. And I hope and hope we will continue in a different level too so I just wanted to say thank you and heartfelt congratulations from TNO to all of you for the amazing work and I'm sure we will continue to do. You know, before the funding or not and everyone's heart and soul into this and getting our migrant worker friends, safe and sound and, and, and some of you are not, you know, new to this, and you were being done in doing this in a different level. Just start on a good note this is an amazing thing that we all did together and need to be congratulated for so thank you. Thank you very much to the neighborhood organization and who was speaking on behalf of the neighborhood organization. Jennifer, yeah I put it TNO because there are two three people joining together. So that's why I don't want it to put my name only I said TNO. Jennifer and TNO partners thank you so much for also for your participation and the support has been great it's very impressive actually what you've done and continue to do and like you, we look forward to continue, you know, collaborating in one way or another. I also was brought to my attention here that there was a question from Ruth about if there is medical and then dentistry available when migrants are right. Does anybody here have a, would like to take a step back answering that. Sorry, what was the question. The question is, isn't the chat there but it says is medical and dentistry available. Right. And then separate from the question is tragic death of migrants soon after arriving. We know that they've been a few deaths for migrant workers even when they are still in quarantine, and that's probably what the proof is referring to. But the question, the specific question is, if there is medical and dentistry or dental support or dental health available when migrants arrive. Connie. I can, I can, you know, provide some, you know, answers I guess. So migrant workers are covered by the provincial health care that they are going to. So for example, if they are coming in Ontario they're covered by OHIP and and so other provincial health coverage as well. So these are very basic health care, but there are community health clinics that can provide more than what the, the, the provincial health care can, you know, can provide. So I guess it's it's making those relationships with this existing community health clinics. The other thing that I would like to bring up, and this is really related to health care. What I found out, for example, coming from the reports of our partners. For example, in PEI, a migrant worker have to wait for 183 days before the the provincial health coverage kicks in. And in Ontario, we have to wait 90 days, so three months. And meantime, employers are obliged to buy and make sure that workers coming in are provided with private medical or health insurance while waiting for the provincial health care to to kick in. And I think this is something that we can all work together in terms of, I don't know, an advocacy or a call or representation to both the federal and provincial governments. We have to shorten the waiting period for health care to kick in because some workers, for example, are only here for very short contracts, and before they're able to access health care their contracts are, are finished. So this is, I guess, something that you know, moving forward, what are the issues that you want to bring up and kind of advocate that that, regardless of provincial, you know, jurisdictions. Thanks so much, Connie. I will see some comments on the chat there. I wonder if Stacy would like to comment on on on the answers you provided on the chat. And then I also saw Fanny's hand be put up. Fanny, if you still want to speak, we'll come back to you okay. Stacy, would you like to comment on the answers you provided? Yes, I was just saying, unfortunately here in Nova Scotia, migrants would have to be here for one year to be able to access public health care. So they, they unfortunately don't qualify for the provincial health care and there's definitely some challenges around that also oftentimes they're not provided with information about what is covered. I think I've seen, you know, some people like weary of, of even reaching up to get information about their private insurance because they're worried their employer might find out, or we had a situation with the worker who ultimately, he had a workplace injury, and the employer took away his health, his insurance card. So these are kind of some of the things that we've, we've seen, unfortunately. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks again, Stacy. We'll go to Fanny and then I think Father Peter also put his hand up. Okay, when it comes to dental insurance, they have coverage through Cowan insurance. So they pay privately for dental insurance. They have to make an appointment with the doctor and bring the health card from Cowan insurance. And that is in Ontario. Also, they are covered by OHIP up until in Ontario, up until December 15. So they can, I know at the hospital, sometimes they don't have the card. But if they've been in Canada from previous years, they, they kind of take that, that number. Okay, in case of dental Cowan insurance, insurance will cover the workers. And, and to let everyone know also if a worker is, came to Canada, and he came out of quarantine, and he got the worker got COVID and has to go into quarantine. WSIB pays for the worker. It's very important to know. And there is a special person, her name is Kendra Holliday from WSIB that is in charge of those cases. Thanks Fanny. And we go, we'll go to Father Peter. I'm just going to say one, one group that we partnered with in the, in the community is the Grand River Health Clinic, which provides different kind of services. One of the things that they were providing pre COVID was a kind of like a health clinic in places like in a in a plaza area where the migrant workers will be shopping congregating on a Thursday or Friday. Obviously with COVID there were some limitations and restrictions. One other piece that was always identified, especially by Eliseo is the mental health piece. That's another very, very important and undiagnosed area for for the workers. Imagining the stress that they're under with COVID with the family with everything, everything that they have to, you know, endure mental health is definitely another important area that needs to be addressed. And it's, it's always, it's not evenly spread out. It's depends on who can gain access who can get the information, who can, who is able to reach it or, you know, transportation wise because we're rural community. So there is a lot of uneven access to service that's one of the big challenges. Thanks very much, Father Peter. Yeah, I saw a swanee from TNO hands up and then we'll go to loose Wilson. And I also see that there is a question or a question from Susan and we'll get to that. So a swanee. Yes, hi. It's nice to see everybody. I'm really glad to be part of this amazing group and I was doing outreach work with TNO under the Kairos program and just going to like the question about like the insurance and health coverage. Yes, a lot of the workers have like that come with a swap program. They have code one insurance. Unfortunately, a lot of them, they don't know they don't know what they are entitled to. So, for, for me, I think it was so great that we have these kind of organizations and we are doing these these groups right to let them know sometimes workers will reach out to me and I'm like, I went to the dentist. And I'm like, okay, you are covered. So I will help them because there is a quite a process to to to do the claim right for the insurance. So if the employer is good and help them or the human resources is great. But if they don't have somebody to help them usually hard for them to claim that that insurance right so I think that's a great thing that we have done as our organizations help them like it's part of all the education. And yes, so I'm really glad and we have reached out so many workers and it's just nice to to learn right has been a learning process to like I was not sure about the code one and then I was talking to some other organizations and I read and I learned and I think there is so much to learn because there is so much need to help. Thank you so much as Ronnie and I see lose Wilson's hands. Thank you. Yes. I am in so game shores. And indeed the Mexican workers there in this area. I have learned that the private insurance with Cohen is an incredibly. It covers them for everything. Leave of absence medical leave. It is just remarkable but as the previous speaker said, they really don't know very much about the, the coverage of this insurance. And that is a process that probably needs to be addressed. But my question at this particular time is regarding a doctor Donald call. I don't know if anyone has been approached by Dr call. We suffered the death of a Mexican worker here this year, and he approached our volunteer group with some comments and a proposal to offer medical care for workers in this area of Ontario he will travel to any area where he will be giving a space to offer medical services for temporary workers. Has anyone heard of this doctor. Sorry, maybe I could say there are a lot of family practitioners and doctors, and they come out and they offer their services because of the covert you cannot have a common camps or a place they can ask services but a lot of inquiries also coming from the doctors, especially individually, they are seeking if they need any support group of physiotherapist and different practitioners also willing to help because of the covert and they heard the news. We also heard from few doctors who were willing to to support, but at the moment, the, the issue is, you cannot meet anyone face to face and, and setting up something like that. And you also need to have that conversation around I think that's one of the things maybe we should all come together and think about how we can get this resources given to the migrant workers that themselves I thought the group of physiotherapists who are willing to show them the essential, you know, exercises or something that can help them during the, the period while they're working long hours and lifting so many things and, and they came together and asked this is something that you wanted to, to show them you and I was thinking they normally don't have access to physiotherapist and massage therapist and all that this may be another way of working with the medical professional to support around, and there are a lot of committee health also, and, and I think. I think that would be very, very important as well this particular doctor is an emeritus professor from the University of Toronto, and he has a hobby farm in in this vicinity. But he, he's particularly focusing his studies on occupational injuries. But he would like to propose to both workers some farmers is the right PP equipment, the techniques to work the fields, all of this that, as you are mentioning are very important issues for the long term health of the workers doing repetitive work. Season by season so I'm wondering if I could refer this doctor to to the group and who will be a good person to talk to this doctor and, and maybe assess the possibility of incorporating his services once we can. We can get together or they can see person to person. Who do you think would be the right person to refer to Dr donor call to. I could see some message from okay they already know and I think they mentioned something on that chat. Yeah, I can see already loose on on the chat that at least a couple of partners of this project. Already work and collaborate with Dr. Donald. So, I guess we could continue the same process and you know, so it sounds like it's already connected to, but in any case if you have if you have any more information that you want to share or any suggestions you would like to make you can always send as an email here at, you know, you know, Connie Soria, for example, was coordinating the this overall project. Very good. It sounds like there's already contact and connections with. I also want to encourage you to read the chat in case you haven't read it. There's quite a couple of comments there. One is from Susan, which kind of summarizes what sort of what will be the hope in terms of, you know, contributing to improving the, the life of my own workers, while they are here. So, Susan, I don't know if you wanted to comment on that, or do you are you okay with just putting the comment on this chat. Well, I just was trying to get a sense of, like, if in the ideal world, rather than I'm guessing we'd rather have major systemic change with with supports coming from communities to so this is how I phrased it and are these the points that we need to be working towards it's a question to to you and Connie and others who who have this, you know, this overview. Thank you. Well, thanks. I sure I can give you a short answer but that's again that's my very own personal short answer right and the question. The answer is yes that's that's our hope. That's what we would like to see. But I would like to see Connie's hand up and I also see TNO's hand up. I'm going to go to Connie's first and then and then we go to TNO. Thank you so much, Alfredo and thank you so much as Susan and also Luz. In when you were talking about who the good doctor code can connect with I was actually thinking of OCCAO as well. OCCAO is a partner of this project OCCAO is the educational health clinics for Ontario workers. It's a very very good connection, but also, like talking broadly this, you know, Dr. Cole's offer can be actually integrated in a more comprehensive way in such a way that, you know, we can, we can encourage other medical practitioners to volunteer and be able to service, you know, to, to migrant workers in addition to what community health clinics are already providing with regards to what Susan has captured in terms of moving forward and what we want to see changes to have changed to happen. Within the migrant justice program at Kairos, we do a lot of advocacy and community organizing and support, you know, for workers. We actually last year when COVID hit that we kind of shifted a little bit of our work towards providing direct service to migrant workers. We haven't done this before, but responding to the crisis and also responding to the need of the time needs of the time, we shifted and include direct service provision to as part of our work. And this is kind of a hit and miss because we're new in this field and also in building relationships with with the government in in implementing, you know, in the project implementation you know, it's it's a it's a learning curve for for us at Kairos, but at the same time I really do not want to. Well, I would, I was about to say diminish but I really want to highlight the achievements that we were able to do to achieve to kept in, in the, in the six months that we are implementing this project, it's not only about the numbers of migrant workers rich, it is very, very important, but most importantly, the relationships built with communities who are already there, who are already existing and providing the support to migrant workers and the funding and the support enable them to enhance and increase that level of support and work, you know, with community with migrant workers. So this is, this is, I guess, one of the biggest highlights that we can report back to you and to the general public in terms of the most, the biggest achievement we're able to to get from the six months work. So, yes, Susan, moving forward, this is this continues to be the spirit of our work at Kairos in terms of making fundamental change general speaking to provide and to provide protection and support to migrant workers are brought here in Canada. Thank you, Connie and thanks everybody for your for your contributions both speaking also through the chat. I'm going to take one more participation at this point and then I'm going to have us to move to the last section of today's webinar which is to talk a little bit about how do we maintain the momentum and continue strengthening the network and the work that we are doing collectively so just want to keep you, you know, get your mind going on that how do we maintain momentum. What actions can we take to strengthen the work that we are doing collectively. So TNO. I just wanted to share that one thing that through that this process, we were able to do some peer leader training with migrant workers themselves, even when this, you know, shortcoming, we might be not there, but building the resources giving them sharing the resources, especially, and I think, as Vani talked about, you know, even though you have a private insurance, not knowing, but you know, teaching one person or giving that person information who lives in the farm so they can share it worked very well and and they were able to connect others, you know, simple things like, you know, showing them or giving them the right information. So teaching the peer leaders to be a leaders in their own group so that's, it's another learning and an opportunity for us to work with amazing seven different people in seven farms. That was just an idea that you know maybe you could also see if you see potential there are so many of them could do, and the resources get shared internally in their own time, and we might not have the time or we might not be around but at least they know to share with the other so I thought maybe I will share that with everyone, maybe you can, you know, if you're not able to then somebody else can within the farm committee I mean migrant workers could do that too. Thanks Jennifer. I'm going to ask that we move to the next the last portion of these of this webinar, and that would be I would like to give the speakers, maybe two or three minutes itch to offer your reflections or your input on how to maintain momentum how do you see it how do we maintain momentum and continue to strengthen the network that we're building and the work that we're doing collectively. Unfortunately we lost Nate, but I'm going to start with with with just about just about would you like to offer some comments on that. Yes, I'm just going to move out here. This is when what you when you when you're working while you're working. I was in the car earlier because I'm working and it's super loud if I talk there so I had to move out. But anyway, so my reflection on this is that really to listen to workers listen to their anything. It can be a story of their life it can be something that they've learned all throughout their journey as a as a migrant worker and in order for us to get their trust as well. We need to let them know that we're not just listening but we're doing something for them. So that's one way of getting their trust. So, yeah, I think that's what I can share as of now. Great, thank you so much, just about. It's a good point, a very good point, listen to workers, listen to what they have to say and then we often reflect on the fact that we will live migrant workers to be pretty much here with us. We need to understand that they're restricted by the work that they had to be doing right so so very difficult for them to take the time at this time, for example, to to be able to participate but that's great. We're going to go to Sandy of our non neighbors, Sandy, your comments. So what I have found has been really working around our area and because we are so new is continuously sharing our information with everyone and anyone we speak to. I have found amazing connections in just talking about the work that we've been doing and I've learned that I find the connections in the most interesting places like schools, because I have four children so I spend a lot of time talking to teachers and educators and they've now connected me to the ESL teachers and those ESL teachers have connected me to other ESL teachers and they are very connected in the community as well so I feel that to continue the momentum is just to continue sharing the project what we're doing. Who we're trying to reach and so far organically, I mean in Simcoe County alone, I think we've reached a lot of people and the feedback has been very, very positive and everyone is willing to help in whichever manner that they can. So for me, I feel that continuously sharing and communicating with everyone in our community is really impacting the project and I found that there is a lot of interest from everybody, because everybody wants to help somebody in some way in some way, whether it be that by volunteering or by sharing more information sharing more posts via Facebook. So I think that that's the main thing for us is to continue to communicate and share all of our ideas and hopefully continue to grow. Perfect. Thank you so much, Sandy. That's great. We're going to go to Stacey. Thank you. I think one thing definitely as others have mentioned it's been really great to collaborate with others so I would love to continue that collaboration. And also, I know here in the Atlantic, we had a few meetings here. And I think that was really great sharing the context of what's happening, some of the challenges that we were facing and so on. And so, yeah, I would love to continue to do that. And we also had like a capacity building session around open work permits and supporting workers with open work permits for vulnerable workers. So yeah, we're working on on on one plus open work permits. And so yeah, I would love to continue to have these kind of spaces for capacity building, because I think that will help us to continue to be strong in the work that we do learn from each other. Yeah, that in a nutshell is what I'm thinking. And also, yeah, continuing to provide people, I would say community members with ideas on actions they can take like simple actions because I think people always want to be supporting but they don't necessarily know how. And so even with, as I mentioned with the seedling, the seedlings that we that we gave to migrant workers that was one concrete thing that that community members were able to do is support us with growing seedlings so yeah, I think there's lots of ways that community members can be engaged in in this work. Great. Thank you so much to see. We're going to go now to Father Peter, your reflections. Thank you. Thank you. So yeah, so obviously we want to also continue building on those important relationships and communication with our different partners with ours internally but also with the other community organizations that have been very supportive of our efforts and our outreach. The challenge I did forget to mention was working with is encountering workers in distress, meaning workers that might be in a unfavorable working situation living condition. And really we find that legally what are their, what other options you know it is difficult. We're obviously not lawyers or we're not, we're not enforcement officers, but we do try different ways to help them support them, as we did this past this past season or this season to brothers that were in distress. So finding ways maybe a sort of a plan of action how to implement that and where to begin and how to follow through with that because once a worker decides to leave a farm he is technically he or she is in breach of contract. That's the way it's seen. So yeah so finding more obviously legal protective and more secured rights, so that they can have a better way of facilitating their, their needs and if necessary transfer as well. Great. Thanks everybody that's that's those are very good comments. At this point I'd like to open the floor for a few minutes. Anybody, any one of you partners who would like to weigh in in terms of how do you see keeping the momentum going and and strengthening the world that we're doing collectively. We still have a few minutes left before we come to the conclusion of this seminar so the floor will be yours I see loose Wilson we're going to start with loose. Thank you. We are really not formally part of your organization, although I think we would love to be part of it. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Because I am Mexican and I work for the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa. When this program is started many years ago in the 70s. I was closely related to the Mexican workers in the area. And the way I started was to empower them with talks that we held locally this is semi urban rural area where we had access to a library. And we were able to have conversations about the rights about the issues about their stories listening to them. So now I see that they are empowered with technology. Because the Mexican telephone company has a program that is cheap to connect between Mexico and Canada. They all bring the cellular phones with them, and they all communicate with WhatsApp. And through this medium we have been able to hold conversations with them during the pandemic time about the issues because of the debt of the individual here. It was more important to keep in touch with them. We felt so this technology help us to keep in contact with them. But not only that I saw that there was the possibility to expand the services in the same way of technology. Maybe we have English as a second language and all the sessions related to the interest that we could apply through WhatsApp or Zoom or any other medium. That would be my recommendation. Thanks, Liz. And we're going to go to Maria Cristina, then Elisabeth, and then Aswani. So Maria Cristina. Yes, I'm sorry. I have internet issues that my video is going to be off. But I was really inspired for everything that we're doing here in this program. And we start from zero, like we have connections and then we can be able after six months to provide a lot of service. We haven't shared with all the people that belong to this group, so many experience. So for me the momentum is just to keep working for the workers in that way that connection and building a structure to support them is one of the main things that we should keep doing because this never happened before. And now we are so strong in different ways to support the workers. And some of the spending that we have here after to break out of COVID is like with workers without support, they will be so, so in this space for them. So thanks God that we have this experience and we have all this chance to support them in crisis. So thank you so much because this is wonderful and we have to keep doing this for the worker. Thank you. Thanks very much, Maria Cristina. We'll go to Elizabeth. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm the outreach coordinator for the Durham Region Solidarity Program. And these last six months is being a hard time for me and that we don't, we are not going to stop in there because still we are doing a lot with them. But we will keep supporting them and it's being a great experience listening to their stories as I'm trying to navigate with them for solutions either from their families that are in Mexico or for them that are in here in all means. And that relation building that we have with the workers we want to keep it and it's something that we have been doing other than this project we have been doing by heart like for me I've been doing something I really love to do. And I will continue to support the workers in any means if they need and I know that through this network we can always reach at each other and I'm trying to find a solution or a way that we can keep supporting them. So it's been a great experience and a lot of learning. I'm sure we can keep learning and give the support that they need because without us, I think they've asked Cristina just said it's very difficult for them and we hear stories from either we are working with workers that are here for two, three years. They don't come only for six months, they have longer contracts and they were not even able to go to the bank to do a simple transaction. So with our help we're empowering and we hear their stories like now I can do it and it's thanks to all your support. So it's a heart touching so many stories that we hear from them and I'm very happy that we can continue and support them in all means. Thank you. Great, thank you so much, Elizabeth. Now we're going to go to Asrani and then we're going to go to Leonora. Yes, hi. I just want to share that I'm really happy to be part of this program because, and this project because like when I heard the name, Empowering My Grand Workers. I was, wow, that's something. I've been working and I started working like 12 years as a volunteer with my grand workers. And yes, we reached some workers, some farms. But this time I had a more view because we were reaching farms which have like 200 workers, right? Like 300 workers, 150. And then you think like one-on-one is hard to empower. So I love the part that we were able to provide like webinars, information sessions, just as Jennifer said, some of them. So you just provide that to some in the farm and then they share it with their co-workers and then you're really empowering, right? Because you're giving them the tools. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is just the tool to be able to have power, right? So I think that was a very important part to give them the knowledge to have the tools to advocate for themselves too, not just for us, because we cannot do, like I say, we're just a couple of organizations, or many organizations, but it's still, there is like a farm. And when I went to a farm, I'm like, how am I going to empower 200 workers? So you give them tools to empower themselves and then you help them to advocate for themselves. That's great. And I think that's amazing about this project, right? Like we have done networks, we have done webinars, we have, I find the gaps. And I think the momentum is now, because like I said before, I never saw it. Unfortunately, COVID brought this kind of awareness, right? Like how much migrant workers are a vulnerable group and they need help. But I'm like, I mean, if it's something bad that happened with COVID, I'm glad that happened because now everybody kind of turned their eyes to this vulnerable group. And then there is organization like us and this project. And I just hope that it doesn't stop because empower is not just one time, right? It has to continue. The supports have to be there. Like from like information, communication support with foods, community, like connections, right? Like sometimes just to, like they say, like sometimes they just want you to hear. A lot of workers were just like reaching out to me during quarantine because they were like, I'm so bored. I don't know what to do. They didn't have any problems, but they just wanted that connection with somebody, right? So this has been great, great experience. I think we all have this group in our hearts and I hope, I really hope that this just keeps going, not just for six months, one year. I think that forever because they are here. They've been here for many, many years and they are going to continue because they are big, big support for the food, right? For the food chain and everything in Canada. So yes, that's everything. And thank you. And I have seen all your work and I'm happy that it's just not in Ontario because I'm in Ontario. It's like amazing that it's nationwide. It's like a BBC, like Prince Edward Island. I'm like, oh, I'm so excited. Thank you so much for everybody. Thank you for everything. Great. And thank you so much as running for the work that you all are doing as well. It is exciting. It is exciting. Thank you for being part of it. We're going to go to Leonor City now. Hello, can you hear me? Yes, we can. Well, I am Leonor Cedillo. I work for the Occupational Health Clinic, so for Ontario worker, workers mainly in research projects, but I have been in touch and working with this project that we at our organizations have been involved with all of you. So it's the first meeting that I attend and I know that it is the last meeting at this point, but I was just going to suggest since all these people and all these groups are doing so a social great work in the field. It would not be possible for a titles to maintain some type of meetings with certain frequency monthly or every three months or something like that just for us to be together and know what others are doing and how we could continue being in in touch and sometimes collaborating with with others projects. That's a great question, Leonor. That's great. For a moment I panic because there's a lot of fun going on in here and I thought, am I going to lose action again? And I also wasn't seeing Connie, but I'm glad Connie's there because I think Leonor's question is very clear and specific. And I wonder if this will be a good moment then to, because what I was going to do is I was going to close this section in terms of the commentaries and comments and questions from people and then give Connie five minutes to offer some closing commentary for the webinar for this series. And I wonder if this is a good time then based on your North questions can kind of provide some kind of space for people to maintain, you know, spaces to meet like these webinars and so on. So Connie, am I putting you in the spot? No, I'm good. Thank you so much. I actually went up to open my door because one of my cats was knocking. She wanted to join me. Thank you so much, Leonor, for bringing that up because I mean this is what we really want to continue moving forward. One, not to lose the momentum and also to maintain the relationships built during the project, and continue to be able to connect, to support each other and enhance, you know, our work and our capacity to do more outreach. We have the Kairos network across Canada that's another way of being able to connect. And, you know, we're planning just before the project actually came about or we get funded. Since the pandemic last year we started, is it every two weeks webinar, Alfredo, that we started in March, up to end of June in 2020, just to keep ourselves connected and to also monitor and get updated on how the COVID-19 impacts on the migrant workers. So we want to continue doing this to keep the group and also to bring in new, you know, new new allies, new supporters and welcome migrant workers as well, to be able to join us when time permits. No. Okay, I hope you're not going to be really, really mad at me, our partners. Just now we signed the extension of this project for one more month. So I know that, you know, we've worked so hard to get in the reports by June 15 and continue to be able to spend the funds by June 3. But just today, the day before the end of the project we got the extension, you know, to be able to work more, to be able to work for another month. So hopefully we can use this one month extension to one to do, to still count the numbers that we're reaching out and to also plan well ahead in terms of how we want this work to continue, the relationships to continue and so forth. So there is opening for the possibility of the work to continue beyond July 31st when where the extension, you know, ends. And we hope to be able to go back to our partners and develop a more cohesive and continuation of the work that we started from January to June. So these are, these are things, you know, that we can look forward to and start developing as well and how we can build off from current project to the next level and and being able to do to have a long term presence in our communities but also at the national level in terms of what we are providing and what we're contributing to ensure the safety of the workers who are coming here in Canada on, you know, temporary status. And, and this is also to see great to again, and the overall advocacy work that the migrant justice program and carers and the carers in general is doing in terms of being able to do to make sure that you know workers who wanted to stay are provided with permanent residents status. But that is not part of the project, you know the work, the activities of the project that we are implementing now but just providing you a general overview of the whole carers migrant justice work. There are other partners at the federal level who are working at different in different provinces, for example, in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This is the Calgary Calgary Catholic immigration services that is also provided or funded to be able to do this work so any carers network member in the general, you know those provinces can connect with CCIS. Earlier that in BC there is mosaic and AMSA and success, and in Quebec I saw Marie-Claude Manda from Manga from Quebec who is here with us at this webinar. And there is immigrant Quebec that is also implementing a similar project in Quebec so there are a lot of ways of being able to connect not just in Ontario and the three provinces, but across you know other provinces with regards to ensuring the migrant workers are protected and that they are also empowering them as as one and Jennifer said, you know, providing them the knowledge and the information empowers them to be able to advocate for themselves and assert their rights. I would say, in this webinar alone, we have eight community partners with us today. I'm not going to mention the names of the staff but we have TNO, we have the neighborhood organization, we have the occupational health clinics for entire workers, the migrant workers solidarity network in Simcoe and no neighbors in Barry and the Simcoe County. The migrant workers solidarity or support program in Durham, the Niagara migrant workers working group, FCNB the Filipino community in New Brunswick, which is based in Fredericton and no one is illegal in Nova Scotia. And these are, you know, eight of our 14 community partners who are with us this afternoon. So again, thank you to all our partners and to the CARES staff team working with us collaboratively in this project, and to the CARES local network members who are with us as well, and supporters and allies. Thank you so much. That's great. Thank you so much, Connie. That's a great summary. That's what I was hoping for. And I also want to thank you for taking the lead coordinating the project. I also want to thank you for doing the work that I was going to do and thanking our CARES partners, but also the CARES team. Thank you so much for being here with us. Cheryl, Mike and Mara is with us and Shannon is with us today as well as it's always been. I also want to take the opportunity to thank that David. Ivanie, David, what did an internship with us early in the project and he's the one that is greatly responsible for setting the foundation for the, for the webinars. And then of course we want to thank Service Canada and the federal government for the financial support and you heard it. You heard that it's making an impact, it's making a difference and is still needed. And so we look forward to continuing the partnerships and continue building and strengthening the network. Nothing but good feelings as we come to the term or to the closing of this webinar series. And of course, I want to acknowledge also that, you know, the speakers for today. Thank you so much for each and every one of you, unfortunately, Nate from the Southridge Community Church in Niagara had to leave. And so we also had a speaker that was scheduled to speak today from PEI from the Cooper Institute and Whitley, but she couldn't join us because she had to go to the hospital to be with her daughter in the delivery of a grandchild so she sent a message and she sent regrets. I told her don't worry. The most important thing today is the health of your daughter and the new grandchild. So we are thinking of them and thank you sending them our good vibes, good thoughts. Yeah, unfortunately, the storm is doing its job. You know, I guess I take this as a sign from the creator as well. We're coming close to three but I again I just came back and I heard you said Gabriel would you like to say something before I say, before I say thanks everybody. Again, one more time. Gabriel, is there anything you would like to say before we close. Hey everyone, Gabriel here. Thank you for, thank you for giving me some time. I joined the meeting really late. I didn't follow everything. However, from the little that I heard, I can say that through Kairos, I'm really happy to be associated with such a project. We all know that migrant workers are vulnerable and precarious and especially during a pandemic, it's really a critical and a tough situation to be in. When a migrant worker tell you for the 10 years they've been in Canada, that's the first time they feel empowered. When migrant workers, the work that we do, they expected the liaison officer to do it. And for 20 years, they were like we fill the gap that have been empty waiting to be filled by the liaison for almost 20 years. How does that make you feel when migrant workers tell you, when migrant workers tell you that the situation back home is so difficult. And the situation back home is so difficult. The families are not working and the families during the pandemic expecting them to provide help. And this is for Kairos and funding Tiano that helps them to bridge that gap. What does that tell you? When you have a project that is ending in June, now July, and you still have migrant workers coming in and we've not touched them. We cannot leave this workers on touch, not service. I don't think it would be a fair thing to leave the project in the middle of an agricultural system during the pandemic. So I think it is very, from what I've read, it is justified for this project to continue. And again, even my telephone or my work number, the workers have those numbers. When I return that for what happens there, we cannot leave the workers hanging and I would like to encourage everyone to continue the great work. I would encourage TNO and Kairos to pressure the politicians. They are the ones who have the resources to push for the continuation of such a project. And we all know that food is important. We all know that food is even more important during a pandemic. And the fact that unemployment is so high and during that time when employment is so high, Canadians still do not want to do that job. It makes it even more important for that project to continue. So in a nutshell, I would like to thank everyone for making that project possible. I would like to thank everyone for this few minutes to touch base and I would like to thank everyone to continue to apply pressure, to continue such great work. Thank you. Great. Thank you so much Gabriel. I'm glad to see you. Thank you, my friend, brother and thanks everyone. It's been a pleasure to be working with you all this time. Before I lose the connection again, I want to say thank you and goodbye. Have a good afternoon. We'll keep in touch.