ONE Jamaican farm worker in Canada sustained injuries and another was arrested by the police following a fight on a farm in Ontario last Friday. The injured man was taken to hospital for treatment.

Acting chief liaison officer for the Jamaican Liaison Service in Canada, Althea Riley, who confirmed the incident, said based on the investigation carried out by the liaison service, a group of farm workers who had completed their work contract in Canada were about to get on buses headed to Pearson International Airport to board flights to Jamaica when an altercation developed between two of the workers.

“Upon hearing of the incident, a senior liaison officer was dispatched to the location to carry out an in-depth investigation and offer support in line with the mandate of the service,” Riley said. “We are happy to report that the injured worker has since been released from the hospital and will be returning home in short order,” she added.

She said the liaison service, in conjunction with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security in Jamaica, will continue to monitor the worker’s recovery and where further treatment is required the insurance policy he has in Canada, through the liaison service, will be activated.

Regarding the other worker, Riley pointed out that “the liaison service will be extending the usual courtesies in circumstances like these”. She said, however, that this is now a police matter, and “against that background the service will act within the boundaries of the Canadian law”.

In the meantime, the Jamaican Liaison Service has moved apace to hire an attorney in Canada to take legal actions on behalf of a 30-year-old farm worker from Westmoreland who was hit from his pedal cycle by a drunken driver on October 15, 2023.

The farm worker sustained a leg injury that required surgery. He has since been released from hospital.

The liaison service is in contact with both the worker and his family and will continue to closely monitor this situation.