Thirteen former employees of Dutchie’s Fresh Market will soon get the wages they’re owed.
The business director for the Kitchener grocer, Michael Renkema, plead guilty in December 2024 to 13 counts of wage theft under the Employment Standards Act. He was supposed to be sentenced in February, but the hearing was postponed while Renkema worked on a resolution.
On Tuesday, a court heard that both Dutchie’s and Renkema are in the process of paying the unpaid wages to those 13 former employees.
The justice of the peace, Michael Cuthbertson, said Renkema’s sentencing would be pushed back to May 2025 to ensure all the promised money had been paid.
While the latest development may come as welcome news to those 13 employees, others are still waiting for their wages.
The case against Dutchie’s only addressed violations to the Employment Standards Act between March 2022 and April 2023.
“There may be workers who have outstanding orders to pay from before March 2022… and we know there are workers who have outstanding orders to pay from after 2023, who are still waiting to be paid,” explained Joanna Mullen, an employment lawyer with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services.
Even though the employees involved in the agreement are getting paid, she said the initial theft was damaging.
“The workers who needed this money, needed it years ago, to pay their rent, to pay their bills, to make ends meet. It’s fair that those workers are understandably frustrated that even after going though the Ministry of Labour… it took the additional step of having the Ministry of the Attorney General to come in and lay charges.”
Mullen said the Dutchie’s case reveals the weakness of current Employment Standards Act legislation.
“It really just sends this message that you don’t have to pay, you can just allow non-payment to happen for years and years and years, until you finally reach this point where you’re facing potential jail time or potential additional fines. I really don’t think that that message inspires confidence that our current legal system does enough to deter this behavior.”
Renkema could spend up to one year in jail or face a maximum fine of $50,000. A corporation, if found guilty, could be fined up to $500,000.
Sentencing has been set for May 30.
