In spite of the temperatures of up to 40 degrees celsius below zero, hundreds of Latin American workers perform their jobs every winter in Canada in occupations requiring to deal daily with the tough climate of the country.
The construction is one of the sectors with more foreign temporary workers. But the working conditions are harsh, especially when temperatures reach – 30 and – 40 degrees as it has happened in recent days in Toronto, the largest Canadian city and one of the points where more homes are being built throughout the country.
Luis Arturo Gomez, a Mexican from the Federal District, has lived almost six years in Canada working in construction after arriving with a tourist visa and decided to stay in the country. He recognizes that the worst moment of his life was the first day that he had to climb a scaffold in the middle of the Canadian winter, two weeks after arriving in the country. “It was the worst day of my life because I was working on the roof, putting plywood boards and felt that I was dying . The snow in the face, the wind”, he recalls.
With temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees below zero, the skin that is exposed to the weather freezes in minutes. sometimes it is necessary to amputate parts of the body usually fingers, zones of the ear and the nose.
Despite the harsh conditions and the danger of their work, Luis expressed appreciation to what Canada has offered him. “I’ve fulfilled a dream of realize myself as a person, see my potential, and the people here support you and open their hands for you and you can demonstrate the potential that you have”, explains Luis.
