Hinshaw pleads for more compassion for meat plant workers

But here in the city of 100 hello’s:

” I haven’t seen a lot of it . I see a little bit of it on social media, but I haven’t seen it directly and hopefully I don’t”, Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita said.

The situation is vastly different in comparison to the reports of prejudice faced by workers at the Cargill Meat plant.

” In Calgary, but but in Brooks I don’t think so,” said Sheryl Juicl. who immigrated seven years ago from the Philippines.

Mohammad Idriss is with Brooks and County Immigration Services. He says the community has come a long way towards reducing underlying racism and discrimination.

” If you were to ask me this question a ten years ago I would have said yes in our community here in Brooks but now our community recognizes that diversity is a strength”.

The city has seen over one thousand cases of COVID-19 and with 400 of those linked to the JBS meat plant, there has been a lot of finger pointing, something the chief medical officer refuted on Monday.

“This is not an outbreak limited to a worksite, but a complex outbreak that needs intervention on all settings,” Hinshaw said.

Hinshaw’s statement’s were echoed by Morishita.

“I’m glad she said that publicly, because it has been long suspected. I know from the very first time we had multiple cases that were attributed to JBS they were not from one area of the plant, they weren’t from one shift they were from all over,” Morishita said.

Morishita pointed to socioeconomic conditions as possible contributors.

” They look after seniors, the families are bigger so you expect the spread to be difficult to contain,” Morishita said noting groups of people are living together in one home because they are trying to save money to send back to their families in other countries.

Non-essential travel is also another likely factor.

“We’ve heard of cases during the asymptomatic call backs where people had people visiting from St. Albert and Edmonton and Okotoks , why are you visiting? I realize that people are lonely and want to visit their families but…you are putting our communities at risk but you are also putting your own community,” Morishita said.

While there may not be much discrimination, some residents say there is some animosity over the handling of the pandemic.

“Without testing you don’t find out, and then all of a sudden you do the testing and now we are the hotspot, ” one man said who did not want to provide his name.

From a two week span, the city of Brooks went from no cases to well over a thousand.

” It’s the way they are letting things happen in this town,” the man said.

” When it is 10 adults living in a two bedroom apartment, how can it not spread?,” he added.

As a cloud of sorts hangs over Brooks as the city continues to grapple with the virus, a final message from the city’s mayor for those on the outside looking in.

” When all of this is over come back and see one of the strongest communities in North America,” Morishita said.

by Tiffany Goodwein

Hinshaw pleads for more compassion for meat plant workers

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