Kit Andres' [an organizer with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change] cellphone was known among migrant farm workers as a hotline for whatever they needed, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has transformed into a lifeline as workers across the country call in secrecy to report poor conditions on farms...

Migrant farm workers have also been among the hardest hit groups during the pandemic. The virus has infected close to 1,000 of them in Ontario, three of whom died. ... 

Before the pandemic, hotline staff said calls were mainly about things like Employment Insurance and migrant workers rights in Canada. But as coronavirus took hold, Andres said they noticed an increase in calls about conditions on the farms....

Workers fear consequences of speaking out... many of the 60,000 seasonal farm workers in Canada having their bosses also serve as their landlords. ...

Andres said some of them are undocumented and almost all are temporary workers whose status is tied to a sole employer. ... the "fear and intimidation" was there long before the novel coronavirus emerged.

She and a colleague ... heard about allegations of racism in the calls, as well as cramped, unhygienic conditions, sometimes with little to no food. ...

Andres argues that one of the most important solutions would be creating better access to obtaining permanent resident status, which would offer a safety net for workers who could face homelessness, unemployment or deportation for turning down work.