Latest news with #DutchiesFreshMarket
CTV News
22-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Top stories of the week: wage theft fine, vending machine concerns, and police nab motorcyclist
Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director, Michael Renkema, have been sentenced after more than a year of allegations, protests, orders to pay and court delays. Renkema pleaded guilty to 13 counts of wage theft under the Employment Standards Act in December 2024. On June 20, 2025, a joint submission was filed by the Crown and lawyer for Dutchie's and Renkema. It recommended a $25,000 fine for Dutchie's as a corporation and an additional $7,500 for Renkema alone. Justice Michael Cuthbertson agreed with that sentence. He also decided Renkema and Dutchie's would not have to pay any additional victim surcharges. According to Renkema's lawyer, Rachel Goldenberg, the 13 former employees involved in the case have now been paid. She said more than $10,000 in fees also went to the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance. Goldenberg then asked the judge to give Renkema 20 months to pay off the fines. Justice Cuthbertson agreed. Two victim impact statements were read in court before the sentencing. One was from a former employee who said he had recently moved to Canada. 'When the payment delays began, I felt betrayed and exploited. I made several efforts to address the situation, sending emails and messages explaining the difficulties I was facing, but no resolution was provided,' the statement read. Renkema sent CTV News a statement on the day the sentence was delivered. 'We are deeply sorry for the lengthy process and burden this has been for all involved, especially the employees. Though the Gateway [Kitchener] location sustained losses in the millions, primarily due to poor workmanship of the refrigeration contractor, we understand we have obligations to our employees and our suppliers. It is our goal to continue to honor these obligations. We do thank customers who have supported us in honoring this goal. We will do better as we rebuild.' dutchie's fresh food market kitchener grocery A Dutchie's Fresh Food Market store in Kitchener, Ont. on March 14, 2024. (Dan Lauckner/CTV Kitchener) Ontario's privacy watchdog is sharing new insight on the investigation into the so-called smart vending machines that collected the personal data of users at the University of Waterloo. '[They] went over and above what you needed to sell snacks,' the privacy commissioner told CTV News. Those machines should have never been installed, she said, if the school had followed proper procedures. Students were alarmed last year when they saw an error message displayed on a machine in the Modern Languages building that read: ' – Application Error.' They filed a formal complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) in Feb. 2024 Ontario's privacy commissioner spoke exclusively with CTV News about the investigation. Patricia Kosseim said the 'over-collection' of personal information was concerning. The University of Waterloo, the privacy commissioner added, was not the only school to use the vending machines. 'We've gotten a lot of emails from people that have seen them all over the province.' For Kosseim, the problem started before the contract was signed for the smart vending machines. 'Had they had proper due diligence in the course of their procurement practice… they would have probably twigged onto the fact that there was technology behind them, smart technology, that should have prompted the university to conduct a privacy impact assessment and then, unpack all of these features which would have given them the choice, the option, to say, 'No, you can't do this.'' She said the IPC's investigation should serve as a warning to other schools. smart intelligent vending machine uw university of waterloo Intelligent Vending Machines (IVMs) after being removed from the University of Waterloo. (Source: UW) It's the end of an era for a motorcycle dealership in Cambridge. Blackbridge Harley Davidson on Holiday Inn Drive is closing down for good at the end of June. The business, formerly the Kitchener Harley Davidson on Kingsway Drive, changed hands in 2019 but remained one of the few independent dealerships. 'This was a really difficult decision for our ownership group to make,' said Blackbridge General Manager Erin Mitchell. 'At the end of the day, this is a luxury brand and times are hard. It's really hard to make that investment at the same levels that we had coming out of Covid, and previous economic conditions.' Citing financial pressures, the Blackbridge team opted to divest from Harley Davidson. The dealership had been a one-stop shop for the company's merchandise, parts and services. 'There's such a beautiful brotherhood or sisterhood, of familiarity to being a rider, regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity or experience level,' Mitchell added. The business will operate on an appointment-only basis until they officially close up shop on June 30. Rocky's Harley Davidson, on Wilton Grove Road in London, will also be shutting down at the end of the month. This year marked its 70th anniversary in the business. Blackbridge Harley-Davidson Blackbridge Harley-Davidson drops off rental motorcycles for Jason Momoa (Facebook: Blackbridge Harley-Davidson) A driver is facing a flood of charges after being pulled over by the Ontario Provincial Police in Wellington County. Police stopped the pickup truck, which was hauling a boat, on June 14. The driver was charged with operating with a defective braking system, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, driving without a licence, driving without a muffler, possessing unmarked cigarettes, failure to surrender a permit for a trailer, failure to surrender a permit for a motor vehicle, driving a motor vehicle without a validated permit and operating a vehicle with emission control equipment not in compliance with regulations. Traffic stop Wellington OPP June 14, 2025 A white truck hauling a boat was pictured during a traffic stop on June 14, 2025. (Courtesy: Ontario Provincial Police) A motorcyclist last seen wearing a 'come get me' sweater has been arrested by Guelph Police. On May 29, an officer spotted a bike with no licence plate being driven erratically on Stone Road West and Edinburgh Road South. Police pulled up beside the motorcycle at a red light and told the rider to pull over. Instead, he took off. Police said he was going approximately 120 km/h on Stone Road and, in the interest of public safety, they stopped their pursuit. They then turned to social media to find the motorcyclist. Police noted he was wearing a sweater with 'come get me' written across the back. That post, they said, was viewed 575,000 times and several tips were reported, which led to the identification of the rider. On June 13, a 20-year-old Guelph man was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, flight from police, stunt driving and offences under the Highway Traffic Act. He also received a 30-day suspension and his motorcycle was seized for 14 days. Some parts of the bike, police added, had been wrapped in red 'in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.' 'Consider him 'got,'' the release from Guelph Police said.
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘We will do better': Business director of Dutchie's reacts after being fined for wage theft
Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director Michael Renkema have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wage theft. CTV's Heather Senoran reports. Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director Michael Renkema have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wage theft. CTV's Heather Senoran reports. Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director, Michael Renkema, have been sentenced after more than a year of allegations, protests, orders to pay and court delays. Renkema plead guilty to 13 counts of wage theft under the Employment Standards Act in December 2024. On Friday, a joint submission was filed by the Crown and lawyer for Dutchie's and Renkema. It recommended a $25,000 fine for Dutchie's as a corporation and an additional $7,500 for Renkema alone. Justice Michael Cuthbertson agreed with that sentence. He also decided Renkema and Dutchie's would not have to pay any additional victim surcharges. According to Renkema's lawyer, Rachel Goldenberg, the 13 former employees involved in the case have now been paid. She said more than $10,000 in fees also went to the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance. Goldenberg then asked the judge to give Renkema 20 months to pay off the fines. Justice Cuthbertson agreed. Renkema's lawyer also referenced an alleged issue with the company's refrigeration vendor in 2021, which led to financial turmoil for Dutchie's. 'The company faced significant financial losses in the millions of dollars and incurred significant debt,' Goldenberg said. 'The defendants deeply regret that when faced with this sudden loss of financial resources and mounting debt, employees were not paid their wages. The defendants acknowledge and take responsibility for this failure to pay wages, and when faced with this prosecution, did enter a guilty plea.' Two victim impact statements were read in court before the sentencing. One was from a former employee who said he had recently moved to Canada. 'When the payment delays began, I felt betrayed and exploited. I made several efforts to address the situation, sending emails and messages explaining the difficulties I was facing, but no resolution was provided,' the statement read. Justice Cuthbertson said what happened to the former employees wasn't right. 'People lost wages that they needed to pay bills in their life, put food on the table… They were deprived of their livelihood, simply put. I must ensure that Mr. Renkema and the corporation never again put themselves in the position of depriving employees of their wages,' he said. Renkema comments Renkema sent CTV News a statement on the day the sentence was delivered. 'We are deeply sorry for the lengthy process and burden this has been for all involved, especially the employees. Though the Gateway [Kitchener] location sustained losses in the millions, primarily due to poor workmanship of the refrigeration contractor, we understand we have obligations to our employees and our suppliers. It is our goal to continue to honor these obligations. We do thank customers who have supported us in honoring this goal. We will do better as we rebuild.' dutchie's kitchener Dutchie's Fresh Food Market seen on August 19, 2024. (CTV News/Jeff Pickel) According to Renkema's lawyer, the small family grocer first opened its doors 40 years ago. At one time they had multiple stores, but now have one with only 13 employees.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Dutchie's fined for employment violations
Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director Michael Renkema have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wage theft. CTV's Heather Senoran reports.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Sentencing for Dutchie's Fresh Market and business director delayed again
The sentencing for Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director, Michael Renkema, has been delayed again. Renkema and Dutchie's pleaded guilty to 13 Employment Standard Act violations in December 2024. Originally scheduled for March 4th, the hearing was rescheduled to allow Renkema time to make payments. On Friday, a joint submission from the Crown and defense asked for more time to ensure any remaining administrative fees could be paid. According to the legal teams, the payment orders owed to the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance have been paid, but it's not clear if the administrative fees are still outstanding. Joanna Mullen is an employment lawyer with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services. She said this process has been productive for the 13 victims involved in this case. 'The workers whose outstanding orders to pay were part of those charges, it's my understanding that they have now been paid,' Mullen said. Mullen said she is concerned about other potential victims who have filed a claim not included in this particular case. 'It has not stopped the behavior that is at the root of this, which is the wage theft that is happening for workers who are working for Dutchie's Fresh Market,' Mullen said. '[The payment] is not enough to discourage this particular employer from continuing to engage in these practices.' CTV News has previously reported there have been 72 Employment Standard claims against Dutchie's between April 2018 and April 2024. New information received from the Ministry of Labour said there are eight claims that were under investigation from April 2024 to April 2025. According to Mullen, prosecution appears to be the best way for former employees to get paid. 'What that really tells us is that we need the Crown, we need the Ministry of Labor to continue to charge and go through these types of prosecutions. It really seems that is the only way these workers are going to get their money,' said Mullen. The sentencing hearing has been rescheduled for June 20th at 3:00 p.m. Michael Renkema did not wish to provide comment on this story.
