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COT 19
Every summer in Essex County, migrant workers from Mexico and elsewhere tend the fields and greenhouses of large agri-businesses. This is not a new practice. Lot 19 employed many new immigrants in the Windsor region, particularly the wives of Italian and Polish men who came to Canada for work in the auto industry. But the migrant workers today have very little promise of settling in Canada. In fact, by law, they have to return to their countries of origin each winter. For those who disobey, there is “Cot 19,” a halfway house for migrant workers on the lam. The property would be gated and accessible only by bicycle, the vehicle of choice for migrant workers. The halfway house would provide a place to sleep, a co-op style farm to supply meals, and a clinic to treat the many workers who fall victim to hit and run bicycle accidents each year.