'It’s a fantastic conclusion to a hard fought battle': Local migrant farm workers compensated ten years after illegal DNA sweep
CTV
It's compensation a decade in the making. In London, Ont. Sunday, migrant farm workers were given their $7,500 settlement cheques after recently winning a 2015 Human Rights Tribunal case against the OPP and the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
It's compensation a decade in the making.
In London, Ont. Sunday, migrant farm workers were given their $7,500 settlement cheques after recently winning a 2015 Human Rights Tribunal case against the OPP and the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
“It's been a long journey with bit of blood, sweat, tears and patience,” said Junior Modeste, a migrant farm worker from Trinidad who has been in Canada for the past 25 years.
Modeste was one of 54 migrant workers from Vienna, Ont. in Elgin County who were illegally coerced by police into providing their DNA during the search for a violent sexual assault suspect in 2013.
“It’s traumatizing,” said Modeste. “When I go places, and I see the cops show up, I look around and wonder what are they here for now?”
Human rights lawyer Shane Martinez has been working the case since 2015, and was in Victoria Park to hand out the cheques to 33 workers.
