Advocates want Ontario to ensure migrant workers have clear info about COVID-19 vaccinations

Health experts advocating for migrant farm workers say COVID-19 vaccines must be offered with accessibility in mind.

Ontario is preparing to vaccinate more workers during the current phase of its vaccine rollout and some health units have started offering shots already.

But a working group of experts says workers raised concerns about early vaccination pilots that lacked advance notice and did not provide everyone with consent forms.

They say workers must be free from reprisal if they choose not to take a vaccine and must receive information about the shots in their own languages.

The Migrant Worker Health Expert Working Group is also calling for workers to have consultations with health-care providers ahead of vaccinations.

Some 20,000 farm workers are employed in Ontario annually and more than 1,780 tested positive for COVID-19 last year.

The province says it wants to offer vaccines to workers arriving at the airport but advocates say that plan could cause confusion.