Breaking Isolation: Social Work in Solidarity with Migrant Workers through and beyond COVID-19.

In the early months of COVID-19's proliferation through Canadian communities, the now largely documented uneven impacts and burdens of the illness were emerging. Among the early COVID-19 casualties were workers in Alberta's meatpacking plants, with infection rates so high that the news quickly gained international attention. The Cargill meatpacking plant, overwhelmingly staffed by temporary foreign workers with no permanent status or citizenship rights, was the site of the largest single coronavirus outbreak in Canada. The need for a community response to this emerging crisis was a focal discussion for a newly formed network of social workers. A multileveled series of actions and systems advocacy were put in place. These actions would foment a vibrant and diverse "community of communities" while also unveiling challenges and obstacles to the work during a period of a shifting health landscape, shutdowns, and changing legislation. This article focuses on the development of a grassroots and transformative community-led response to COVID-19, describing strategies, implementation, and challenges in the "real life" context of the recent pandemic. Key learnings for postpandemic community organizing and social work solidarity actions are highlighted.

Hiding for Survival: Highlighting the Lived Experiences of Precarity and Labour Abuse Among Filipino Non-status Migrants in Canada.

Non-status migrants are individuals who do not hold a valid immigration document or official status to stay in Canada. This paper presents a case study on the experiences of non-status migrants seeking access to health, social, and community services. Through interviews with five non-status migrants, the authors explore the specific needs, rights, services and barriers they encountered. Our findings highlight five case-based themes that centre on the (1) undocumented and hidden costs of striving for status, (2) aspirations to stay in Canada, (3) navigation through the everyday struggles to survive, (4) acts of selflessness and (5) resistance against the stigmatisation of being labelled a non-status migrant. Despite their fear of exposure to professionals, non-status participants express willingness to utilise services in the community. However, there is considerable paucity of information about the resources that they could access freely and without risk. This paper offers key recommendations for social work practitioners who engage in social justice and advocacy work alongside non-status migrants in Canada.