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| | By Manuela Vega | | |
| Good morning. Here’s the latest on charges against an Ontario farm where a migrant worker died, deciphering the Jacob Hoggard jury’s split verdict, and a new program prescribing fresh fruit and vegetables. | | | |
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| | | DON’T MISS | | |
| Steve Russell/The Star | | |
| migrant labour | | Juan Lopez Chaparro, 55, left his four children and wife in Mexico to pursue seasonal work in Ontario. The migrant labourer was among 196 workers on an Ontario farm to test positive for COVID during an outbreak in May 2020 and three to be hospitalized — he ultimately died from the virus. Now, multimillion-dollar produce operation Scotlynn Growers has pleaded guilty to one count of failing to take all reasonable precautions to protect a worker, and will be fined $125,000, Sara Mojtehedzadeh reports. Here’s what we know about the farm and the penalty. - Context: Up to 50 people lived in Scotlynn’s bunkhouses where Lopez Chaparro was bedridden, but not isolated, for several days. After his death, a bunkmate was terminated for raising concerns about health and safety. (Scotlynn later paid damages and lost wages to him following a labour board ruling.)
- By the numbers: Concerns about Scotlynn didn’t start with COVID. Between 2016 and 2018, Mexican authorities received 33 complaints about the farm — the highest number of complaints for any one Canadian farm during that time.
- Go deeper: Temporary foreign workers “were particularly dependent on their employer’s compliance with the law” because of their precarious immigration status and limited English, labour ministry lawyers said.
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| Canadian Press/Alexandra Newbould | | |
| courts | | Why did a jury find Jacob Hoggard guilty of sexually assaulting a young Ottawa woman, but not of raping and groping a teen fan? That’s something the public will never know for sure, but experts say the the six-day deliberation and their being deadlocked on “some counts” could indicate that some jurors believed the teen complainant, too, even if they couldn’t be sure beyond a reasonable doubt. However, Hoggard must now be presumed legally innocent in relation to her testimony. Here’s more on what the jurors may have considered. | | | |
| R.J. Johnston/The Star | | |
| an apple a day ... | | Leading to issues such as diabetes and hypertension or depression and suicidal ideation, a lack of nutritious food can have major consequences for individuals’ physical and mental health. Food Rx, a pilot program that emerged in 2020, is working to address that by giving more than 200 people a biweekly delivery of fresh, healthy food. Here’s how the program is reimagining healthcare. - The aftermath: Participants have reported significant improvements in quality of life, overall happiness and sense of community. “Every month is still a struggle,” said one recipient, “but when I go to sleep at night I know I’ve had a decent meal.”
- Go deeper: Some have said the initiative fails to address the root issues, while those involved say they know it’s only a temporary solution. “Prescribing food is not something I wanted to do as a health-care worker,” one physician said. “It’s a response to broken social systems.”
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| | | WHAT ELSE | | |
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| | | ICYMI | | | Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star | | | | | | | |
| | | CLOSE-UP | | |
| Sunday Alamba/AP Photo | | |
| NIGERIA: Police stand guard outside of the St. Francis Catholic church in Owo on Monday, a day after an attack that targeted worshippers. The gunmen opened fire inside and outside the church, killing 50 people before escaping the scene, authorities and witnesses said Monday. | | | |
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| Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow. | | | |
| Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 | PRIVACY POLICY | | | | |
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