Federal government commits more funds to Windsor's migrant worker isolation and recovery centre

The federal government has announced that it will continue to fund Windsor's migrant worker isolation and recovery centre for another month.

Funding for the Canadian Red Cross to operate Windsor's isolation centre ran out on Wednesday, leaving city officials to secure federal commitment as migrant workers continue to need isolation.

On Friday, the Ministry of Public Safety told CBC News via email that an extension was granted, which allows the Red Cross to continue operating the centreuntil Oct. 31.The Ministry said it has earmarked $1.5 millionfor the centre.

"As we have made clear since the beginning of the pandemic, our government will be there to help provinces support the most vulnerable.Understanding that there was an outbreak amongst temporary foreign workers in southwestern Ontario, the Canadian Red Cross was deployed to assist with isolation and recovery efforts," the statement reads.

"[We] will continue to monitor the situation moving forward."

In response to the news, Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyksaid it's "another example of the tremendous collaboration and teamwork that we're seeing across all levels of government."

He said this is something they've worked on for the last week after Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens approached the region's members of parliament asking for help.

45 farm workerscouldn't access Windsor's centre

The City of Windsor's chief of staffAndrew Teliszewskytold CBC News on Thursday that over the weekend, two dozen migrant workers needed to be isolated but were unable to access the city's facility.

The city couldn't place thetemporary foreign workersas federal funding to run the isolation centre out of the hotel would run out prior to the completion of the workers'two-week quarantine period.

As a result the workers are isolating elsewhere in the region, though Teliszewsky could not confirm where.

In total 45 workers are in isolation and being looked after by farm owners throughprivately-raised funding.