Ontario Crash That Killed 10 Farm Workers, Public Inquest Declined

Feb 05, 2013

Coroner’s Office Determined Crash Was ‘Driver’s Error’, No Inquest Necessary

Ontario’s chief coroner said Monday that a public inquest isn’t necessary into the deadly crash that happened in southwestern Ontario, killing 10 migrant farm workers and a truck driver on Feb. 6, 2012.

The crash occurred in the hamlet of Hampstead, Ontario, when a 15-passenger van failed to stop and crossed the path of a transport truck, which killed 10 foreign farm workers and the truck driver. There were three farm works who survived the collision.

The coroner concluded that the crash was solely the result of the driver’s error. The decision was made after carful investigation of reviewing the deaths.

While the decision is final, the Agriculture Workers Alliance disagrees with the decision, saying that the inquest would have helped shed some light into the some of the difficulties that migrant farm workers face in Canada.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.