HEADLINE
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY September 16 - 30 , 2017
Philippine restaurant chain Max ’ s expands presence in Canada
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The leading casual dining chain in the Philippines , Max ’ s Group Inc . ( MGI ), is expanding its business in Canada .
There is a new deal to set up a new shop in Winnipeg , the capital city of the province of Manitoba , by next year .
“ Existing stores are doing well . Customers also include non-Filipino diners ,” said MGI investor relations officer Paul Cheah about the restaurant ’ s presence in
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Canada .
Max ’ s Restaurant currently operates four stores in Canada . It previously opened restaurants with the help of other partners in Vancouver , Toronto , Scarborough and Edmonton .
Max ’ s is popular for its fried chicken served with banana ketchup .
MGI disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it had signed a deal with Alibin Group Inc . to bring Max ’ s Restaurant to
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Winnipeg .
Alibin Group is a privately held Canadian company , comprised of family shareholders and operators , which is into retailing business , food services , accounting , finance and private capital market , architectural and information technology .
Winnipeg has been the home of the Alibins , a Filipino-Canadian family , since the early 1990s .
“ We welcome the opportunity to once again
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serve distinct flavors of home to our countrymen based in Canada ,” said MGI president and chief executive Robert Trota .
Trota added : “ Our tie-up with Alibin Group will anchor the success of this endeavor . They are equipped with the necessary knowledge and business acumen to foster our shared vision .”
The deal is the fifth offshore store development agreement inked by MGI for
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2017 .
MGI is the largest operator in the Philippine casual dining segment .
Aside from Max ’ s Restaurant and Sizzlin ’ Steak , MGI ’ s other brands include Yellow Cab Pizza , Pancake House , Krispy Kreme , Jamba Juice , Max ’ s Corner Bakery , Teriyaki Boy , Dencio ’ s , Meranti , Maple , Kabisera , Le Coeur de France , and Singkit .
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Court certifies suit by Filipino and other temporary workers against Mac ’ s store chain
A B . C . Supreme Court has certified a class-action suit filed by temporary foreign workers against Mac ’ s Convenience Stores and a number of immigration companies in Surrey .
The class suit was filed by Filipino and other temporary foreign workers recruited from Dubai .
The workers claimed that they paid recruitment fees and were promised jobs in Canada .
However , when they arrived in Canada , there were no hobs waiting for them .
In addition to Mac ’ s Convenience Stores , the class-action suit was also filed against these immigration firms : Overseas Immigration Services Inc ., Overseas Career and Consulting Services Ltd . ( OCCS ), and Trident Immigration Services Ltd .
The workers said that they received contracts to work at Mac ’ s stores in B . C ., Alberta , the Northwest Territories , and Saskatchewan .
“ This is a disturbing case of how low income
workers spent their life savings to try to find a better life in Canada through a job at Mac ’ s Convenience Stores but instead found they had lost their money and most had no employment ,” said lawyer Carmela Allevato , who represents the workers .
Allevato , who is based in Vancouver , said that some of the works went back to Dubai , and some to the Philippines .
Lawyer Susanna Quail , who is also helping the migrant workers , said there may have been up to 450 workers who were brought to Canada .
Natalie Drolet , executive director and staff lawyer with West Coast Domestic Workers ’ Association , said cases like this send a strong message to employers .
The lawsuit has yet to be tried in court . The claims have yet to be proven in trial .
The notice of claim was filed by the workers in December 2015 .
Hundreds of migrant workers claimed they paid
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more than $ 8,000 for convenience store jobs which didn ’ t exist .
The notice of claim was filed with the B . C . Supreme Court . It alleges that from December 2009 onwards , the workers were recruited in Dubai to work at Mac ’ s stores in B . C ., Alberta , the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program .
When the workers arrived in Canada , they found the more than 425 jobs they had been contracted did not exist .
The immigration firms named in the suit are based in Surrey , B . C .
The firms allegedly charged the workers an illegal $ 8,000 recruitment fee and made them pay their own transportation to Canada .
Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program , migrant workers are issued a permit linked to the employment contract offered by their new employer .
If the worker ’ s job role , location , or employer changes , their work permit becomes invalid .
Mac ’ s Convenience Stores Ltd ., which began as Mac ’ s Milk in 1962 , now has about 800 stores across Canada .
B . C . Supreme Court Justice Arne Silverman issued the decision dated September 18 , 2017 certifying the lawsuit .
“ Shortly after arriving in Canada , each of the [ representative plaintiffs ] learned that there was no job for them at Mac ’ s ,” Silverman wrote in his ruling .
The workers allege that as many as 450 people , mostly from from Nepal and the Philippines , had similar experiences when they were recruited by consultants in Dubai .
In the decision , Justice
Silverman wrote that the defendants “ deny wrongdoing on their own behalf , and deny any responsibility for whatever wrongdoings , if any , that any of the other defendants may have committed ”.
Mac ’ s Convenience Stores claimed that it contracted with OCCS in 2012 to recruit temporary foreign workers . However , the company said that it did not authorize the collection of fees .
Mac ’ s also claimed that it understood that any payments made by the workers were for helping them navigate the Canadian immigration system .
The immigration companies have denied charging fees . They also said that most of the workers retained OCCS for “ immigration and settlement services ”.