Released by CCNCTO in 2021, the report documented the two-part community-based research project to reflect the experiences of working-class frontline workers from the Chinese Canadian immigrant population in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study consisted of a survey completed by 295 workers and community members cross multiple job sectors, and a community-led storytelling and interview project connecting youth volunteers with other workers and community members in an intergenerational exchange. The focus of the study was to collect qualitative data to assess community issues and areas for possible reform.

The majority of workers surveyed are employed in low-wage and high-risk sectors with workplace health and safety concerns. Many are working in the sectors of health care (personal support workers and nurses in long-term care, homecare and hospitals), retail (frontline workers in grocery stores), restaurant, production (factory workers) and construction.

The study showed that factors such as immigration status, gender, age, low wages, unsafe work conditions and lack of access to health care and income support impacted frontline workers in a myriad of ways and increased their vulnerability to health risks and socio-economic marginalization.

This report reflects demands for more progressive and robust policy changes that prioritize increasing resources and protections for workers.

The data from this study reveal the following aspects of frontline workers

during the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. Frontline workers are working long hours for low wages under dangerous conditions.

2. Workplaces feel unsafe for the majority of frontline workers.

3. An overwhelming majority of frontline workers feel powerless to change their circumstances.

4. Frontline workers are suffering from high stress and other negative mental health impacts.

5. Workers are demanding meaningful policy and legislation changes that ensure working-class families’ equal access to decent and secure opportunities.