Page 8 - Newcom

COVER STORY
The South Asian Trucker
Under pressure from all sides
ç3⁄4ÖäÆ Â¶ôÆÁÅÂÆ àð3⁄4Õð
Ôð êÅö å¯o çìÅÁ ÓÚ
By Abdul Latheef
BRAMPTON, Ontario
In his hit Truck Union music videos, featuring gleaming rigs, beautiful women and fancy cars, Surjit Khan sings about an imaginary luxury life as a longhaul driver, a profession which has become a magnet for South Asians.
But beneath the facade of the glossy image portrayed by Khan lies a grim reality – a host of men-
tal issues, triggered by an extremely
stressful job.
The problem is exacerbated by the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the community.
The Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) in Brampton, Ont., has been at the forefront of providing help to distressed South Asian truckers throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Brampton itself is home to thousands of drivers from the Indian state of Punjab.
Seven out of 10 calls the center receives are from truckers, many of them first-generation immigrants struggling to cope with the stress of their job.
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8 MARCH 2020
ROADTODAY.COM