He was a husband, a father of two and an employee at a large greenhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake, coming to town every growing season from Mexico to work and provide for his family back home.
Now, those who knew Sínhue Garcia are grieving the loss of someone they say was a generous and caring person — and whose death has deepened fears about the rural roads farmworkers cycle every day.
Friends, colleagues and volunteers gathered on Sunday evening to mourn the death of Garcia, who was riding his bicycle through the farmlands on Friday night, June 26, when a driver struck him from behind on Concession 6 near Line 4 Road. He died at the scene at the age of 39.
“It’s devastated the community,” said Brittany Kranz, lead co-ordinator of Farmworker Hub NOTL, at the roadside vigil held at the scene of the collision.
Garcia worked at St. David’s Hydroponics for several years as a seasonal farmworker, returning to Canada each year to work at the greenhouse, where a variety of vegetables are grown.
His death sharpened a warning that people in Niagara who support farmworkers have been repeating for years.
Seasonal workers in the area rely on bicycles to get to town from the farms they live on, whether it’s to get groceries, visit the bank, see friends or access services. They do this while cycling on rural roads that give them little room to survive a passing vehicle.
Garcia was riding southbound on Concession 6 with a friend, both keeping as close to the road’s edge as the narrow shoulder allowed, when a vehicle struck him from behind, according to an account the friend gave through translators at the vigil.
The friend pointed to fresh scratches on the rightmost side of the road as the place where Garcia was hit. Garcia landed about 10 metres south in a ditch, where he died.
A cross was placed there and decorated with flowers. By 7 p.m. on Sunday, 18 people had gathered at the vigil, many of them longtime friends and colleagues of Garcia, all mourning his death and supporting the friend who tearfully recalled the traumatic experience. More arrived later and added flowers.
Two other vigils were held the same day at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church. Garcia’s wife attended one of them, according to friends at the roadside vigil.
Garcia was known among several farmworkers and local volunteers, said Julia Buxton-Cox, founder of the Farmworker Hub NOTL, who knew Garcia for four years.
“He was quiet, but very kind, very generous,” she said. “He would often accompany his friends to go to town when cycling, just to make sure that they stayed safe.”
The fear reached a migrant workers’ rally in Virgil the same day. Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said some workers were afraid to ride together to the rally after Garcia’s death.
“We were actually going to do a bike caravan today instead of this,” Hussan said. “People don’t even want to be seen on bikes in groups.”
Hussan said the danger comes from decades of treating migrant workers as temporary labour without building the roads, transit and community services they need.
“The reason people keep dying is that there has simply been no treatment of people as human beings,” Hussan said.
Hussan said migrant workers have been coming to Niagara for six decades, often for most of the year (typically from late winter, or early spring, to late fall), without the public infrastructure that would let them move safely through the communities they help sustain.
In 2019, a worker known as Zenaida, who also worked at St. David’s Hydroponics, was killed in a hit-and-run while walking along Concession 7, a few minutes from where Garcia died. The driver in that case was sentenced to two years in prison.
“This happens too often. Far too often,” Buxton-Cox said.
Garcia’s bike had reflectors, Kranz said. People at the vigil said Garcia and his friend were riding properly at the edge of the road.
“They were doing everything right,” she said.
Garcia’s friend, who is in his first year working in Niagara, was beside him when he died. People at the vigil spoke about getting him support, including counselling.
Richard Lee, executive director of Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, said in a media release that the company is “deeply saddened” to learn of Garcia’s death.
“Like many seasonal agricultural workers, he made significant sacrifices to provide for his loved ones and contributed greatly to the success of Ontario’s greenhouse sector,” he said. “His hard work, dedication and commitment will be remembered by those who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
Virgil’s Book Nook, a bookstore that opened in June as part of the Farmworker Hub, directed the proceeds from all of Tuesday’s sales to Garcia’s daughters in Mexico.
The store is also collecting bicycle safety gear, including lights, reflectors and reflective vests, for seasonal farmworkers who rely on bikes.
Donations can also be made online through Cornerstone Community Church’s giving page, ccchurch.ca/giving: those who want donate can navigate to the green “Give Now” button on the page, select the Migrant Worker Resource Centre fund from the pull-down menu and write “Sinhue” in the memo box, so all proceeds are directed to his family.
