Douglas MacLellan

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After Work

31 images Created 11 Dec 2015

About 5,000 to 5,500 migrant workers are needed every year in Essex County to support the production of tomatoes, other vegetables and flowers grown in the fields and, increasingly, in greenhouses. You often see these workers, mostly men, riding on bikes on county roads or sometimes talking on a street corner in uptown Leamington on Friday nights.

Collette Broeders, a visual artist, and I wondered who these people were and if we could document some of their stories. We did our research and made our conclusions. The result is "After Work", an intermedia presentation.

You may see Collette's video contribution at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcCLQ5-Rbw

You may see our handmade book, the "orange book", at Windsor Workers Education Centre.

You may our framed prints and videos at Leamington Arts Centre in July, 2016.

Collette and I gratefully acknowledge financial support from Windsor Workers Education Centre Green Shield Canada Fund.
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  • One part of the massive Great Lakes Greenhouses Inc. operation on Mersea Road near Leamington. The company grows cucumbers and other vegetables. Many of their workers are Jamaicans on Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
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  • Greenhouse on rural county road outside Leamington, Ontario.
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  • Gilda Monreal, a Chilean born, Canadian based artist created in 2013 this mural on the occasion of the UFCW Canada union's first agricultural Workers Alliance Support Centre's tenth anniversary. The mural is on the side of the support centre's building.
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  • A man pauses on his bicycle at an intersection in Leamington, Ontario. The uptown area is popular with migrant workers for shopping and banking.
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  • Two men talk with each other in the uptown area of Leamington, Ontario, a popular meeting place for migrant workers on their off time.
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  • A group of men meet near a bank on payday. The migrant workers get time off each week to do their banking, shop and relax. It is the responsibility of the owners to provide a ride to and from town.
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  • Three men walk down a main street in the uptown area of Leamington. The building with the colorful sign is a money transfer office used by mainly migrant workers.
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  • Inside El Comal Restaurant, a Salvadoran family owned business featuring Mexican and Central American cuisine. The restaurant is in the Leamington uptown area, popular with migrant workers after work.
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  • Two men talk with each other in the Gourmet Latino, a popular restaurant with temporary workers in the Leamington uptown area.
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  • A man gestures to another while a third man looks at his smartphone at Taco Tony's, a long established Mexican food restaurant in the uptown area of Leamington.
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  • Five men, all temporary workers, relaxing in the International Hotel in Leamington, Ontario.
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  • Jorge Valdivia, a union member, grills corn at a barbecue for migrant workers at the Agricultural Workers Alliance Support Centre in Leamington. There was an excellent turnout of mostly Hispanic speaking men but no shortage of food.
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  • Five men react during a game of dominoes at their residence on the property of a large greenhouse operation. The men are from Jamaica and are participating in a temporary work program. They typically work six days a week for up to eight months per year.
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  • A boy eats pizza along with others after a quarter final soccer game in a field near the Leamington fairgrounds. The league, operated by Leamington greenhouse and farm owners, features mostly migrant workers.
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  • A player starts to take of his jersey during halftime of a soccer game. The league is operated by the greenhouse and farm owners. Most of the players are migrant workers.
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  • Two men, both Jamaican migrant workers, play cricket near their temporary home. They were enjoying their Sunday afternoon after working in the morning at a large nearby greenhouse.
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  • Three Jamaican men play a pick up game of soccer close to migrant workers's housing on the property of a large greenhouse farm outside of Leamington.
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  • Xiomara Seth Condray works on a customer's hair at Makayla Beauty Salon and Barber Shop in uptown Leamington. She is the owner and named it after her daughter.
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  • Xiomara Seth Condray, a second generation Canadian El Salvadoran, listens to a Jamaican worker while working on another man's hair in her small beauty shop in Leamington.
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  • Jonathon Queensborough, a 39 year old Jamaican worker, talks about his daughter back home while waiting for a haircut at Makayla Beauty Salon and Barber Shop in Leamington.
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  • A man carries a box of goods while others look over the offerings of traveling salespersons. Four people, two men and two women, stopped by the temporary homes of Jamaican workers and showed articles of clothing, shoes and other items.
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  • A group of men, all migrant workers, travel on bicycles between a path between large box retail stores in Leamington. Bikes are a popular form of transportation for the workers and the big box stores are a popular weekend destination.
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  • Several male migrant workers shop at Freshco in Leamington. The workers usually shop in large numbers on Fridays and the weekend. The store makes an effort to supply foods and products the largely Hispanic and Caribbean groups may like such as many varieties of peppers and cheeses. Nicole Noel, the woman in the photo, is a long time social justice activist and university staff member.
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  • Eduardo Sanchez, not a migrant worker but rather a Leamington resident, plays guitar for a group of migrant workers at a workers's support centre. The Agricultural Workers Alliance organized a well attended barbecue for the mainly Spanish speaking workers.
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  • Three men videotape while a fourth man watches a student intern (not shown) perform a song at the Agricultural Workers Alliance Support Centre in uptown Leamington. They were attending a weekend barbecue organized by the centre.
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  • Sergio Martinez, left, Mike Miguel Andrade, and Palo Ruiz, all temporary workers, listen to Rose Davies, a student intern, during an English class at Agricultural Workers Alliance Support Centre in uptown Leamington.
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  • Martin Ramirez, support centre coordinator at Agricultural Workers Alliance (AWA), works at his desk while Rose Davies, a student intern, teaches workers about filling out a form. AWA supports mainly Hispanic speaking migrant workers but is working hard to include Caribbean islands workers.
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  • Hector Patal, centre, watches Arnoldo Silva and Palo Ruiz (far left) during an English class at the Agricultural Workers Alliance Support Centre in Leamington.
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  • Javier Molina, left, shakes hands with Juan Pablo Gomez Gonzalez, a student, during a break at the Lady of Lebanon religious event just outside of Leamington. Molina, a migrant worker, is working today for the church as a short order cook. The fence separates the cooking area from the general public for safety reasons.
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  • End of the memorial service for Sheldon McKenzie, 40, a Jamaican migrant worker who died on 17 September 2015 after a long hospital stay. He leaves behind two teenage children. The service was held in the gym of Leamington United Church. Although McKenzie was found unresponsive on the floor at his workplace, his death was not work related. A migrant justice group was concerned but in the end they agreed it was an unfortunate incident. McKenzie's body was later flown to Jamaica.
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  • Freshly cleaned athletic shoes, bicycles and two feral cats near migrant worker housing on the property of a large greenhouse operation just outside of Leamington. The building houses Jamaican temporary workers.
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