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CTV News
8 hours ago
- 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
9 hours ago
- 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.
