Ontario man claims discrimination after rescinded job offer

Discrimination allegation amid rescinded job offer Ben Browne believes he was discriminated against after being offered a job at a grocery store only to have the offer rescinded.

A Newmarket, Ont. man claims he was offered a job that was snatched away before being offered a second time, which he alleges was a case of discrimination due to his disability.

Ben Browne lives with cerebral palsy and says he was excited when he got a position as a cashier with The Real Canadian Superstore in Aurora.

"I was really looking forward to it," he says.

According to Browne, he met with the store recruiter on Thursday last week and the front-end store manager the next day before the recruiter gave him the good news.

"She shook my hand and said congratulations and welcome to the team," he says.

But come Monday, Browne says he was informed he wouldn't be filling the position, after all, adding he was told the manager hadn't signed off on giving him the job.

"I got a call from her [recruiter] saying that it was her mistake and that she was not going to be proceeding with the hiring," he says. "They both came to the conclusion that being on cash would be too difficult for me to do."

Browne believes the decision was based solely on his disability.

He says he was told the company would set aside a job better suited for him in another department.

"I really felt discriminated against, and as if they didn't even give me a chance to prove myself."

The 25-year-old says he told the recruiter during the interview that he would need to be able to sit down every few hours.

"I can't stand up for extended periods of time," he explains. "I said to them I would require to sit down for 10-minute increments after a couple of hours, or something like that. I wasn't planning on sitting down the entire time or sitting down for an hour straight or anything like that. Just when I felt that I needed it."

Browne, who has diplomas in broadcast journalism, says he is exploring his legal options, saying he has plans to file a human rights complaint.

"There is no grey area here in my mind. It was spelled out on the phone on that call on Monday by the store recruiter, and it's something that, I mean, it's not as if they didn't hire me because they thought they had somebody more qualified. I fit all the criteria with the exception of having a physical disability," Browne says.

However, in a statement to CTV News, Loblaw Public Relations calls the situation a miscommunication.

"We can confirm that there was some initial confusion regarding Mr. Browne's employment status with the store, which was the result of miscommunication and has since been cleared up."

It continued, "We remain committed to providing an accessible and inclusive environment for our employees and customers."

But Browne isn't buying it. "You cannot hire somebody and then say, 'Oh, whoops. Never mind, we think it'll be too difficult for you on second thought because you're disabled."

The Newmarket man took to social media and contacted the company's HR department, and says shortly afterward, the store backtracked and offered him the job a second time.

"I declined based on the fact that I did not feel comfortable in that environment. Clearly, somebody within the store management had decided they did not want me on cash for whatever reason," Browne says.

Meanwhile, Browne has accepted a position with York University's Athletic and Recreations Department as a sports information representative.

He starts his new job on Monday.