Dear Readers,

The summer months are a busy season for contractors in Alberta who do home improvements, landscaping, etc. There are many good contractors, but – like in any profession – there are some bad apples. They do crappy jobs, they cut corners, and they rip off customers. But the worst part of these bad contractors is that they exploit their workers, and some of them are undocumented migrants who work long hours, are paid poorly and in many cases avoid taxes and safety regulations. They put up with this abuse, because they don’t have work permits and are afraid to be discovered. We can see the consequences of this practice in the U.S. now where the Trump government is rounding up undocumented migrants and wants to deport millions of them. The Government of Canada also wants to be stricter with immigration and border security, but let’s face it: If all undocumented migrants would be kicked out, some of our industries would collapse, because they rely heavily on cheap labour, like fast food chains and other businesses who hire workers who do practical work with their hands and are not paid much. There is no easy solution to this situation, but governments should crack down more on exploitation of workers and illegal behavior.

‍Arnim Joop 
Publisher & Editor
mwmosaic@telus.net