London restaurant employees demand pay from struggling owner
Several employees at a London, Ont. restaurant say they haven't been paid for months for their work. While the owner admits he's having trouble paying the bills, he's also wondering where the money went.
Hunter Healy and Oliver Taylor, both 17, were hired to work as line cooks at Walker's Restaurant back in early November. They were both employed for about two weeks.
"When it came time to pay, they didn't," said Healy.
"It caught me off guard," added Taylor, who filed an employment standards claim with the Ministry of Labour.
The two teens quickly realized they weren't alone after Taylor's mother organized a picket outside of the Wellington Street restaurant, where many others joined in, claiming they too had not been paid.
Other pickets followed in December outside the temporarily-closed eatery.
Restaurant owner Robert Pouliot admitted to CBC News that he started missing payroll in September due to "incredible" financial losses.
Pouliot said he's been ill and hasn't adequately watched over the restaurant.
He admitted the last year hasn't been the most prosperous, however he claimed he's a victim of theft and that a supervisor stole money and equipment from him.
Convictions across Canada
Pouliot said he started noticing more severe financial losses after he hired a man named John Cameron.
"I started noticing like really weird stuff with product and cash. There was money missing — large amounts of money missing," he said.
Pouliot provided CBC News with cash reports that highlighted discrepancies, but those reports did not provide any link to the supervisor.
CBC News hasn't been provided with any evidence that verifies the accusations made against the supervisor.
CBC News has learned that John Cameron, whose real name is Donald John Cameron, has about 100 convictions across Canada stemming from crimes that date back to the 1980s.
Some of his offences are related to theft, break and enters, assault, abandoning a child and a prison break.
In London, Cameron has been convicted of the following:
Two counts of theft under $5,000
Criminal harassment
Theft under $5,000, fraud under $5,000
Two counts of assault, criminal harassment and failure to comply
The convictions in London date back between 2004 and 2006.
Court documents also show Cameron has been convicted of crimes across the country including Windsor,Ont., Peterborough, Ont., and St Thomas, Ont.
Cameron is currently wanted in five cities across three Canadian provinces including British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for charges related to fraud and theft.
Pouliot said he called authorities regarding Cameron last week. He said officers told him they did not have enough evidence to launch an investigation.
London police was unable to provide CBC News with information about the alleged incident.
Cameron denies allegations
CBC News contacted Cameron multiple times on Wednesday for comment. Initially CBC News was told it had reached the wrong number before Cameron himself picked up.
When asked about the accusations made against him by the restaurant owner, Cameron said "the owner is looking for an excuse … All it is is an allegation. It's ill-founded because he's in financial trouble."
When asked about his previous convictions, Cameron said "my past is completely irrelevant compared to what's going on so I would like that left out. I'm not going to answer about my past."
Cameron then denied he was the same person who had been convicted of the past crimes. However, he has been identified by former colleagues as the man.
Complaints made to ministry
After discovering Cameron's criminal history, Catherine Kuijpers, who organized the first picket, said the problem is bigger than her fight.
Despite the complexities of the situation, "this is not fair … it's not right," Kuijpers said about employees not being paid.
Pouliot said he's working with the Ministry of Labour to address the claims filed against him and help reach settlements with his former employees.
"Use the system and file the claims so I can work through them with the Ministry of Labour. We will work through them … I will try to set a date when people can be paid. I have a hole that I'm trying to dig myself out of," he said.
Pouliot also owns Robbie Walkers Fish and Chips that's continuing to operate on Wonderland Road. He's been operating both locations since the early 2000s.
