Provincial charges dropped against Simcoe, Ont., farm where worker was killed in 2021

Provincial charges against three people in connection to the 2021 death of a farm worker in Norfolk County in southern Ontario were dropped late this summer, according to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

The ministry said in a statement the worker died on Sept. 23, 2021, when a piece of equipment fell on them while working at Lan Anh Ginseng Farm on Concession 13 in Simcoe.

Following an investigation by the ministry of labour, three people, who were not identified, were charged in August of 2022, the statement said.

Two individuals, identified as employers at the farm, were initially charged with failing to provide information to a worker to protect their safety at work and failing to take precautions for the protection of a worker, said the ministry. 

The third person, identified as a supervisor, was initially charged with failing to provide information and supervision to a worker and failing to take precautions for the protection of a worker, the ministry said.

Charges against all three people were dropped on Sept. 12, according to the ministry, "due to the Crown having determined that it lacked a reasonable prospect of conviction."

The Ontario Provincial Police said in 2021 they were called along with fire and paramedics, to the Concession 13 farm in the Simcoe community around 2:33 p.m.

A person who identified themselves as a friend and colleague of a worker at a Simcoe farm who died at the job on Sept. 23, 2021, set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for the worker's wife and children in Vietnam. The friend described the worker's death as a "great tragedy." 

Chris Ramsaroop, an organizer with Justice for Migrant workers, told CBC Hamilton farm workers are often subjected to substandard working conditions. He's calling for more proactive health and safety inspections of farms and more regulations for the agricultural sector.