The Anatomy, Determinants, and Impacts of the Meat Processing Plants' COVID-19 Outbreak Among Newcomers and their Families in Canada

A mixed-methods case study of Canada's largest COVID-19 outbreaks — at the High River and Brooks meat processing plants, each employing roughly 2,000 workers and together supplying around 70% of Canada's beef. The study examines health impacts on immigrant workers, the system response, and policy levers to protect vulnerable workforces.

Duration: October 2020 – October 2025

Study team

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gabriel Fabreau

Co-Investigators

Publications

• Aghajafari et al. — "Learning from Practice: Joint Action for Equity — Community-centred collaboration responds to Cargill outbreak."
  National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health · April 2023

Posters

• "The health equity impacts of COVID-19 among migrant meat processing plant workers in Alberta, Canada." Ammar Saad et al.
  2023
• "Community Participatory Research of racialized meat plant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic." Minnella Antonio et al.
  2023

Oral presentations

• Magwood et al. — "The precarious lives of migrant workers in meat processing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic."
  North American Refugee Health Conference · June 2023

Media coverage

• Alberta Doctor's Digest — (Marvin Polis)
  February 2022
• Global News — (Jessika Guse)
  January 10, 2022
• Calgary Herald — (Jason Herring)
  November 25, 2021
• The Globe and Mail
  May 13, 2021
• Calgary Herald
  May 2, 2021
• CBC News
  April 21, 2021
• Toronto Star — (Omar Mosleh)
  April 16, 2021
• Global News — (Adam Toy)
  April 8, 2021
• The Globe and Mail
  February 28, 2021
• The Medical Post
  July 27, 2020
• UCalgary News
  July 10, 2020
• CBC News — (Bryan Labby)
  August 12, 2020

Translated study information

Participant recruitment posters for the meat plant COVID-19 study, translated into multiple languages spoken by workers and their families.

Funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Partners

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Alberta Health Services

Alberta Health

Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit (AbSPORU)

Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL)

Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)

Calgary and Area Primary Care Networks

CME

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)