Latest news with #employmentstandards
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.
CBC
19-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Alberta companies ordered to repay almost $165K to temporary foreign workers
Two Alberta-based companies are appealing Ontario labour ministry decisions that say they charged temporary foreign workers tens of thousands of dollars to be placed in retail jobs at a Canadian Tire. The companies were ordered to repay almost $165,000. Some of the workers were originally from the Philippines but ended up at a Canadian Tire in Etobicoke, Ont. Though they said they each paid up to $7,900 US to an Alberta company to get the position, once they got the jobs, they say they were underpaid and poorly treated. Many of the workers quit and found jobs in Atlantic Canada and other provinces around the country. An employment standards officer from the Ontario Ministry of Labour conducted an investigation following a series of complaints from workers in October 2023. The ministry issued repayment orders on May 14 against Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration Group in eight cases. Both companies share an owner, Allison Jones, and a common address in St. Albert, Alta. "We trust the appeal process and are committed to a fair and accurate resolution based on a complete review of the facts," she wrote. One of the workers who received the recent decision was Rowell Pailan, who previously shared his story with CBC News from his home in Wolfville, N.S. Pailan says he came to Canada in 2023 after being offered a position as a stock clerk supervisor at an Ontario Canadian Tire. However, paystubs he showed CBC News indicated that while he started being paid at the wage in his contract, his wages were later reduced, making it challenging for him to pay his bills and provide for his family in the Philippines. He says he got the position after he paid the fee to Jones' company using money borrowed from family members. The Ontario Labour Ministry's employment standards officer said Jones should repay Pailan $10,655.52 in Canadian dollars, the calculated equivalent of the $7,900 US he paid in 2022, plus a ten per cent administration fee. "I [was] so happy and teary-eyed, because finally I got justice," he said in a phone interview. "Maybe they [were] thinking that they can do whatever they want, because we are eager to come into Canada," Pailan said, adding that he wants to send a message that people should not "take advantage" of temporary foreign workers. "We didn't have any idea about the amount in regards to the immigration fee, or whatever it is to come into Canada." Companies acted together, decision says It's illegal under federal and Ontario law for a recruiter to charge a foreign worker for a job placement; the recruiter is supposed to be paid by the employer. However, it is legal to charge a fee for immigration advice or assistance with immigration paperwork. In the written decision issued to Pailan and reviewed by CBC News, a lawyer for the two companies told the employment standards officer that Allison Jones Consulting and AJ Immigration are "separate and independent" companies, each with their own branding and invoicing. The lawyer told the officer that Allison Jones Consulting charged Canadian Tire for recruiting services, while AJ Immigration Group was a separate entity that provided immigration services to the foreign workers and charged them fees for these services. This did not convince employment standards officer Charles Beauparlant, who concluded the fees were not legal because both companies were related. He found they shared "common management" in the owner, Allison Jones. "It does not change the fact that both businesses functioned as one comprehensive and unified business," Beauparlant wrote in his decision in Pailan's case. Jones' position, according to the lawyer, was that she is the "directing mind" behind the recruitment company, but not the other company as she "does not participate in the day-to-day operation of AJ Immigration." In her email to CBC News, Jones re-stated her position. "We respectfully disagree with the findings and with the characterization of these two companies — Allison Jones Consulting Services Inc. and AJ Immigration Group Inc. — as a 'unified business,' " she wrote. "Each is a distinct legal entity, and both maintain that their respective practices fully comply with applicable legislation." Beauparlant found that evidence like employee emails and information on Jones' two business websites showed both companies were sharing employees and that Jones was the "controlling mind" behind both. He also noted that Jones was described as the leader of both companies in a sentence on the website for Allison Jones Consulting that read: "She has successfully led the companies since inception creating one of Canada's leading recruitment agencies and immigration consultancies." As well, Beauparlant wrote, "having AJ Immigration Group Inc. collect fees through a retainer agreement after each phase of recruitment demonstrates not only their involvement but further confirms that AJ Immigration was assisting in the process of finding the claimant employment." Pailan previously told CBC News that he had to pay in three stages. The officer issued identical orders to both of Jones' companies, but the Ontario Labour Ministry told CBC News the intent was that the companies should repay Pailan "jointly," not twice over. The ministry also fined Allison Jones Consulting $250 for each of the eight cases, totalling $2,000. 'An affront to our entire system' Chris Ramsaroop is an instructor at the University of Toronto and an organizer with Justice for Migrant Workers, which supported Pailan's case. He says it concerns him that workers must be the ones to ensure the process is followed. "There's an expectation that [the workers] need to come forward, rather than the province or the federal government taking steps to protect the interests of workers," he said. "This is an affront to our entire system — this is disgusting." Ramsaroop feels temporary foreign workers like Pailan are in extremely vulnerable positions, and placing the onus on them to pursue the case to the next level when there is an appeal is a high burden. Pailan says he worries that he won't get the money back after an appeal. "That amount is not a joke, it's totally big," he said, adding that he's trying to repay his relatives who lent him the money. Ramsaroop noted that temporary foreign workers are often tied to a single job by virtue of the closed-permit system, which makes their position in Canada vulnerable. "These injustices will continue as a result of a system where we have workers tied to a particular employer," he said. WATCH | Why this professor believes closed permit system should end: HR professor on why closed work permit system should end 8 months ago Duration 2:39 Canadian Tire store still under investigation The Ontario Ministry of Labour confirmed it's also investigating complaints against the Canadian Tire store where the workers were employed, but the case is still open. There is a separate federal investigation underway by Employment and Social Development Canada into that Canadian Tire, but as of early June, it wasn't complete either. The store owner, Ezhil Natarajan, previously told CBC News he "vehemently denies" all the allegations against him. Canadian Tire Corporation made a policy change in the fall of 2024 to prohibit its stores from using recruiters that charge fees to temporary foreign workers. The corporation said it made the decision together with its dealers, who own franchised stores and make their own hiring decisions.
