About 20 activists gathered outside the Cargill meat-packing plant in High River, Alta., on Saturday, protesting working conditions they call unsafe and exploitative because of the COVID-19 outbreak at the facility.
Organizers wanted to stand in solidarity with workers and “pay respects to livestock animals who are in the last hours of their lives.” “This is absolutely unacceptable in that slaughterhouses are not essential,” said Trev Miller, a spokesperson for Calgary Vegan Activists. “These workers are being forced into unsafe conditions where the vast majority of them are not feeling safe.” As of Saturday, the Cargill outbreak had 953 COVID-19 cases in total: 946 recovered, five active cases and two deaths, according to Alberta Health. [