Fauteux

Return to work, precarity and immigration/migration

About the projects

Precarious employment, work-related health, and return to work among the Toronto South Asian community

Investigators: Stephanie Premji

Extensive economic and social precarity have been documented in the Toronto South Asian community by the South Asian Women’s Rights Organization (SAWRO), the Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic and Stephanie Premji. While these efforts have produced valuable knowledge, SAWRO members have identified a need to further document the causes and implications of work injuries and illnesses linked to precarious employment among the South Asian community, including implications for return to work. Community members will work on all stages of the research as peer researchers conducting focus groups discussions and surveying South Asian men and women who are or were precariously employed and who have experienced a physical or mental health problem because of work in order to document lived experiences.

Return to Work Barriers and Facilitators for Temporary Foreign Workers

Investigators: Janet McLaughlin, Jenna Hennebry, Jill Hanley, Susana Caxaj

Despite the wide reliance on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) throughout the Canadian economy, scant attention has been paid to issues surrounding their access to workers’ compensation (WC), and even less is known about the unique circumstances surrounding the return to work (RTW) issues for those who have experienced occupational injuries or illness.  

This research will achieve two main objectives:  

1) investigate the RTW barriers and facilitators for TFWs across agriculture streams of the TFWP in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec;  

2) compare the RTW barriers and facilitators for TFWs in these two jurisdictions; and  

3) propose policy solutions to ensure optimal RTW outcomes for TFWs employed in the province of Ontario and Quebec 

Main methods include a document and policy analysis of WC and TFWP contracts and policies; qualitative interviews with stakeholders in government, health care and the WCB; qualitative interviews with injured TFWs across program streams; and an analysis of available WC data regarding rates of RTW for injured TFWs in relation to comparison populations.    

Identification of turning points in the journeys of immigrant workers who suffered a work-related accident and the impacts on the strategies of OHS stakeholders

Investigators: Daniel Côté, Sylvie Gravel, Mircea Vultur

The migratory path, the non-recognition of diplomas or the situation of overqualification and the lack of awareness of OHS rights and obligations, precarious work and possible language barriers are just some of the factors that are known in rehabilitation to influence the return to work process. Inspired by the life-course approach and the life story technique, this qualitative study aims to better understand and locate the turning points in the lives of immigrant workers who have suffered a work-related accident. This study includes a phase 2 where stakeholders will be invited to comment on the impact that a better understanding of these pathways can have on their intervention strategies. The results of this study will enrich our existing educational materials and those of OHS practitioners.