Did foreign workers live in Burger King?
The discovery of apparent sleeping accommodations for temporary foreign workers inside a Lethbridge fast-food restaurant has shocked the local MLA.
Last week, Alberta Health Services issued a public health order for a Burger King in the southern Alberta city about 200 kilometres southeast of Calgary, finding among some other health violations evidence of sleeping/living accommodations for an unknown number of foreign workers, including mattresses and other furniture.
While AHS officials confirmed the franchise owner, Calgarybased Sadiq Holdings Inc., had complied with all the requirements in the order, including the removal of sleeping accommodations as of Wednesday, the fact foreign workers may have been living in those conditions is a major concern for Lethbridge-West MLA Shannon Phillips.
“I was horrified to learn of it,” Phillips, who’s also Alberta’s environment minister, said Wednesday.
“No one should be treated inappropriately at work. I don’t care where you come from, I don’t care what job you are doing, you are entitled to and must have by law basic human dignity and a safe workplace.”
Phillips praised AHS for acting on the situation and said it shows the need for the government to ensure proper labour standards.
She said the situation did not reflect the broader business community in Lethbridge, which “prides itself on treating people properly.”
According to the Jan. 10 order from AHS, damage from previous flooding from a burst pipe and a storeroom filled with excess equipment were flagged along with “evidence of sleeping/living accommodations for foreign workers found in another room.”
A call to a number associated with Sadiq Holdings Inc., which is owned by Calgary’s Sadiq Noor according to his LinkedIn social media profile, was met with a text message in response directing questions to Burger King’s corporate office.
The person said that they were not Noor and declined to comment further.
In an emailed statement, Burger King denied workers were sleeping on the premises.
“We have spoken to the Restaurant Owner, who independently owns and operates this location, and he has confirmed that the accusations regarding accommodations are not true,” it read.
“We have also been advised that Alberta Health Services has rescinded their notice. However, we will continue to ensure compliance with our high operational standards.”
They did not reply to further requests for comment.
In a statement, AHS said officials returned to the restaurant to ensure they complied with the orders and lifted the public health order on Wednesday.
“Environmental Public Health Inspectors are empowered under the Public Health Act to order that any unsafe conditions be repaired or removed when necessary when such conditions may put public health at risk,” it said.
“At this time, the work has been completed and the order has been rescinded as of this morning.”
Like her colleague, Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray also expressed concerns about the discovery.
“The order issued was troubling to read. Our government takes the issue of workers’ rights, health and safety, and their well-being very seriously,” she said.
“Ensuring that all workers are protected is why our government updated Alberta’s labour laws through changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Code. If workers have concerns about their rights or working conditions they can contact Employment Standards.”
A ministry spokesman said it’s too early to determine whether there will be a further investigation of the restaurant’s labour practices in light of the allegations.