Temporary foreign workers claim sexual abuse at Ashcroft farm

Three temporary workers from South American claim they were sexually abused and exploited while working on an Ashcroft farm. The Guatemalan workers took their complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which then had to decide whether to continue the complaint process before their...

Temporary foreign workers claim sexual abuse at Ashcroft farm
Three temporary workers from South American claim they were sexually abused and exploited while working on an Ashcroft farm. The Guatemalan workers took their complaint to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which then had to decide whether to continue the complaint process before their alleged assailant is criminally charged. Prosecutors haven't charged anyone yet, but the tribunal named Desert Hills Ranch farm manager and co-owner David Porter as the alleged abuser. The workers said in the tribunal decision Porter "sexually abused them, exploited them and humiliated them in their employment." Porter denied the claims. READ MORE: Okanagan migrant farmworker’s sexual assault allegations shine light on wider issue https://infotel.ca/newsitem/okanagan-migrant-farmworkers-sexual-assault-allegations-shine-light-on-wider-issue/it102618 Very little is known about the investigation, which is not to be confused with a winery in Oliver with a similar name where a co-owner is facing similar allegations. RCMP began its investigation into Porter in 2020, executing search warrants the next year, the tribunal said. By May 2023, Crown counsel said they were still reviewing the file. The tribunal didn't give any more details about the investigation or the complaints from the foreign workers in what was largely an procedural decision. Porter's parents opened the vegetable farm in the early 1990s, which sells to grocery stores across the country. Porter works as the marketing manager. He tried to have the human rights hearings delayed until criminal proceedings are concluded entirely arguing it would be more efficient for the tribunal, but failed.  The tribunal will hear the three complaints together and won't identify the farm workers. The tribunal said it would protect the identities of victims to spare them from widespread publication. It also noted the workers feared publishing their names would put them at risk for future employment in Canada. Ashcroft RCMP and the BC Prosecution Service could not immediately be reached for comment. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .