Court certifies class-action suit involving 450 foreign workers who did not receive jobs
VANCOUVER — The Supreme Court of British Columbia has certified a class-action lawsuit against Mac’s Convenience Stores and three immigration consultants alleged to have collected thousands of dollars from foreign workers who were promised jobs that didn’t exist.
A written decision posted Tuesday says the case involves employment contracts for work at Mac’s stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker program.
The decision says four representative plaintiffs paid up to $8,500, only to arrive in Canada to learn there were no jobs at Mac’s, they couldn’t work elsewhere and their money would not be returned, the decision says.
The plaintiffs represent about 450 workers, including Prakash Basyal, a Napalese man who was recruited at a job fair in Dubai.