Achi news desk-
Another person came forward claiming they weren’t paid what they were owed from Dutchie’s Fresh Market.
At the end of 2021, Vamco Inc. Signed a contract with Dutchie’s CEO Michael Renkema to install the cooling system at the new Dutchie’s location on Gateway Drive in Kitchener.
Vamco co-owner David McLaughlin says it’s a job they soon regretted.
“Within the first two weeks of starting this job, there were a lot of red flags with Mike,” McLaughlin said.
He said they’ve heard from other businesses that paying can be a challenge.
“We found out through a local supplier that [Renkema] He had many problems paying contractors for other jobs he had done in the past,” McLaughlin said. “Every time we asked for payment, there was an excuse and those excuses grew and grew and grew.”
According to McLaughlin, once the system he built was functional, Rankama opened the store, but McLaughlin said it should not have opened.
“It [the refrigeration system] It worked, but it didn’t work as optimally as it should,” McLaughlin said. “We go through and test all of our systems to make sure they’re working to the overall specifications that we’re designing for.”
According to him, Rankama never gave the company a chance to finish the job because he stopped the payment.
Vamco won a court ordered judgment against Ducey’s for $350,000. To date, McLaughlin said less than $100,00 has been paid. McLaughlin says many attempts to set up a payment plan have failed.
CTV Kitchener also obtained public records indicating an extensive record with the Department of Finance and the Department of Labor.
The records show that Ducis and Michael Rankama have at least 23 orders to pay for employment law violations.
The total accumulated debt is over $188,000.
The Treasury Department has seven outstanding warrants against Dochis and Michael Rankama, totaling $469,000.
In total, there are 16 civil lawsuits filed against Duchis and Michael Renkama in Ontario.
McLaughlin says he is not shocked by the numbers but very frustrated.
“I feel like the lack of enforcement has empowered Mike to keep doing this, and because of that, when is it going to stop?” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin believes Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Finance and the judiciary need to act.
“At what point do these agencies step in and say enough?” He asked. “If he doesn’t pay his debts to all the people affected by these judgments, then he has no right to operate a business in Ontario because he’s doing more harm than good.”
In a statement, Dutchie’s said: “‘We are focused on continuing to serve our valued customers. We are committed to addressing any issues internally. We have no further comment at this time.’
CTV News reached out to the Department of Labor who said they could not comment because those matters are before the court.
