‘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 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.

• Timeline of allegations against Dutchie’s

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.”

Both Renkema and Dutchie’s were successfully sued by a refrigeration company in 2023.

The company accused Renkema of stopping payments before the work was completed and opening the store before the refrigeration system was ready.

The company won a court ordered judgement against Dutchie’s for $350,000.