On Monday, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the death of Cargill plant North of High River due to COVID-19.

Yesterday afternoon, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 released a statement mourning the loss.

51 year old Benito Quesada passed away last weekend, and was the plant's second employee to have lost their life to COVID-19.

According to the release, he had been hospitalized in April after falling ill, and was on a ventilator in a medically induced coma for some time before his death.

Quesada emigrated from Mexico, and started work at the plant on October of 2007.

In a statement, UFCW spokesperson Michael Hughes described him as a "quite, gentle, and humble man," who was proud of having been able to bring his family to Canada.

Nearly half of the plant's 2000 workers have tested positive for COVID-19.

920 recoveries have been confirmed among employees, with only 25 active cases remaining.

 

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