My name is Vincent (Tony) and I am from Jamaica, this is my 41st season working at this farm. Why always the same farm? Incredible people! Here I work with good people, I keep coming back year after year and I always look forward to being with them. They are like my family away from home, and everyone takes care of each other.
I have made a lot of friends here too, some of them Canadian and also some from back home in Jamaica. During the summer for fun we play dominoes, we have friends come in from Toronto, we cook and as we say we jerk, you say barbeque. Our friends in Toronto are originally from Jamaica but some of them have been living here for over 30 years. We like to see them and get together during the summer while we are here. When I am home it is basically the same, we like to bring people together and cook and hang out.
At home it is my wife, my three sons and I. One of my sons is living in the States and two are in Jamaica. The oldest son, he is in construction with his own business, the youngest works at a resort in Jamaica and my middle son is a manager at a hotel in Florida. Working here has helped me to take care of my family back home, to own a home in Jamaica and help other family members and friends. When I go back home and have to hire somebody it is the same money that I make here that I use to pay them, so the money stretches a long way.
What would I tell Canadians? Appreciate us workers, because we come here and do an excellent job to help keep the country (Canada) going, we are out on the farm picking beans ect. so that you in the city can have food on the table. Without us here picking food there would be nothing to transport to Toronto for you to have on your table. You don’t realize how important seasonal workers are for Canadian food.