A group that advocates for the rights of migrant workers is speaking out after three men from Mexico were hit by a vehicle in St. Catharines Monday night.
One of the cyclists -- a 36-year-old man -- was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision on Seventh Street Louth between South Service Road and Second Avenue Louth.
The other two cyclists -- aged 36 and 42 -- remain in hospital with serious injuries.
No charges have been laid in the crash, but it remains under investigation.
Kit Andres with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change tells CKTB they are trying to support the man's family and friends, but it's hard to grieve when work needs to be done.
"They are telling us they don't have time to grieve their co-workers. One co-worker said today, we know we have to just keep working or our families won't be fed. This is an enormous emotional strain to be under. It's just another reality for our neighbours living her without permanent status."
Andres is calling on the Trudeau government to give migrant workers permanent resident status so they can have better access to health care, income support, and decent work laws.
There are over 1 million migrants in Canada.
Andres says the cyclist killed in St. Catharines was the second migrant worker death in Niagara this week after a Jamaican man died from a non-COVID health care issue in Niagara-on-the-Lake over the weekend.
"While the circumstance of these deaths are very different, they died without family members by their side. Everyone deserves that."
Click here to listen to our interview with Andres.