Cause of Norfolk-area farm worker’s death in quarantine unknown
What killed Romario Morgan remains a mystery.
The 22-year-old from St. Vincent was found unresponsive in his Mississauga hotel room on April 29.
A cause of death for the farmer worker has not been determined.
Morgan was 13 days into his mandatory two-week quarantine after landing in Canada to work at Welsh Bros., an asparagus and sweet corn farm in Scotland, Ont., bordering Norfolk and Brant counties.
It would have been Morgan's fourth year at the small family farm.
We're deeply saddened," said farmer Charles Welsh.
Everyone's doing the best they can, but it's been a devastating event."
Welsh said Morgan's absence will be felt.
He was a really good worker. We really liked him," Welsh said.
He was a member of the family. We have guys who come back year after year. That's what makes this really hard."
Olaf Fontenelle, head of the Eastern Caribbean Liaison Service, confirmed Morgan's death but could not provide any more information as the coroner's office was still investigating.
News of Morgan's untimely death shocked residents of St. Vincent and his home island of Bequia, who expressed their condolences online to his mother and siblings.
CBC News reported Peel police do not consider the death suspicious.
Morgan is among five migrant farm workers to have died in Canada since mid-March, according to advocacy group Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
The group said Logan Grant of Jamaica, Roberto Jacob Baca Gomez of Mexico, Morgan, and Jose Antonio Coronado of Mexico died while in quarantine, while an unnamed worker died in hospital on April 30.
We still don't know how any of them died. We need an immediate investigation," the Alliance said in a statement while also calling for immediate compensation for workers' families and daily wellness checks for workers in quarantine.
Last week, federal immigration minister Marco Mendicino pledged to work with advocates as well as migrant workers themselves" to keep workers safe in quarantine.
Ottawa sets the rules for the farm worker quarantine program, though health units can impose more strict requirements, as is the case in Haldimand-Norfolk.
J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.