All posts by Kiran Rana

CFIA records show inconsistencies in Canadian poultry regulation

Access-to-information story
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Recently obtained documents from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
show that one of Canada’s largest poultry producers failed repeatedly to meet industry standards on safety and regulation.

Documents obtained from the CFIA through an Access to Information request show that the Maple Lodge Farms plant in Brampton violated numerous industry standards last July.

Among the violations were issues of sanitation, pests, animal cruelty and non-compliance.

Maple Lodge Farms is Canada’s largest independent poultry company. It also offers sandwich meat, chicken bacon, hot dogs and halal meats.

Documents show the CFIA inspector found sanitation issues within the IQF room of the plant on July 22. He noted heavy condensation on exhaust pipes passing over products, a dirty scale, fat build up on machines, and a big piece of meat and woodchips on the floor.

Inspection reports also reveal that problems regarding sanitation kept occurring and did not meet Maple Lodge’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

These sanitation issues also followed several serious violations of regulatory requirements related to pest control. Inspection reports obtained cite CFIA inspectors who found cockroaches in the slaughter and deboning sections of the plant.

The CFIA is a government organization responsible for safeguarding food, animals and plants in order to ensure the health and well-being of Canadians. They verify that meat and poultry products leaving federally inspected establishments or being imported into Canada are safe.

The findings raise serious issues of consistency in poultry safety and regulation in Canada, says food science expert and Guelph University professor Keith Warriner.

He says poultry is the major contributor of food born illnesses and these reports highlight the need for more communication between plant workers and CFIA inspectors.

Warriner says the biggest area of concern with regards to improper sanitation is the risk of multi-drug resistant salmonella.

“When people actually get sick with this type of bacteria, and they go to the hospital to be treated, very little can be done because the bacteria has evolved to be able to fight off the effects of many antibiotics,” Warriner says. “The results can be deadly.”

But CFIA national inspection manager Tom Graham says despite these findings, regulations in Canada are very strong. “Other countries look to Canada as a leader in food regulation and inspection,” he says. “Obviously no system is perfect, but we are pretty up there.”

Graham says that inspections and food safety will improve through a new regulation coming out in 2015 under a new Safe Approved Canadian Act Regulation. He says that the regulation goes further with providing the CFIA the ability to fine companies, like Maple Lodge, who repeatedly break the rules.

But food expert and University of Manitoba professor Rick Holley says he thinks these new regulations won’t do much to improve poultry safety.

He says the main challenge within the government is ensuring that food safety
inspectors are rigorously trained to uniform standards.

“The root of the problem is not the inability of the CFIA to regulate, but rather their inability to get plants to recognize the importance of the changes,” Holley says.

He says a greater sense of consistency needs to exist to prevent miscommunication between workers and inspectors.

Both Warriner and Graham say the size and complexity of operations can lead to omissions.

“They’re working on thousands of birds a minute,” says Warriner.

He says that workers in the plants operate under intense pressure from management to produce and this could be why issues of sanitation sometimes fall through the cracks.

Warriner warns that while some violations are minor, reoccurrences can result in situations like the XL Foods beef recall in 2012-the largest recall of beef in Canadian history due to E. coli tainted meat that caused 18 to become sick. Reports later found that the reason for the recall was in part due to a failure to clean equipment properly.

Maple Lodge Farms representatives were not available for comment and did not respond to repeated phone calls and emails over the past week.

*Attached below is a small pdf of documents relevant to the ATIP assignment including requests to Veterans Canada, CFIA, and correspondences via email.  A lot of my correspondences were over the phone as well.

merged[smallpdf.com] (2)

*The last four pages in the pdf are the most relevant information from the 204 page document I received from my ATIP request.  It requested the inspection reports by CFIA inspectors produced at Maple Lodge Farms, Lot 2, Concession 6, in Brampton pertaining to the transport holding, and slaughter of poultry from July 1, 2013 to July 22, 2013.  Although there were a lot of relevant pages in the document- these four are the ones I focused on in my story.    The first discusses non-compliance issues in the IQF room of the plant and lists all violations.  The second  cites pest control issues over the course of a few days in mid July.  The third describes a miscommunication regarding an instance when the product was trying to cross the US border but did not have the right documents.  The final page is a write up of the plant not meeting the requirements for the humane treatment of animals.

This information was helpful in analyzing issues facing the plant and their broader implications for poultry regulation and safety.

Ottawa not legally obligated to provide defibrillators in public places, councillors say

Database Assignment
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It’s a small portable device that can save lives.  Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) detect cardiac rhythms and deliver shocks to those under cardiac arrest, one of the leading killers of Canadians. But despite the high success rate of AEDs, public places in Ottawa are not required to have one on site.

While many public places in Ottawa are equipped with AEDs, they are not legally obligated in to do so.  This leaves them with little to no responsibility if a person’s heart stops and there is no defibrillator around to save them.

As of April 2013, the City of Ottawa had a total of 370 public access defibrillators in  public buildings.  According to the data, which listed location, number and location on site, Rideau -Vanier had 28 publicly accessible defibrillators-more than any other ward in Ottawa.

Councillor of Rideau-Vanier Mathieu Fleury says he understands the importance of AEDs in public places.  Before serving as councillor he worked for the City of Ottawa as a lifeguard supervisor and taught a defibrillator course.

“As a lifeguard I saw how crucial it was to not only have an AED on site but to have strong communication within the facility so everyone knew where it was,” Fleury says.

Of the 370 publicly accessible AEDs in Ottawa 70 per cent were located somewhere within the main entrance of the public building.

Fleury says one of the reasons his ward has the most public access defibrillators is because it is filled with government and recreation buildings.

“There are a lot of places in Rideau -Vanier like the Rideau Centre which on any given day have hundreds of people inside.  Not having an AED would be extremely irresponsible,” he says.

About 40,000 Canadians experience sudden cardiac arrest each year- one every 12 minutes, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Public Information Officer of Ottawa Paramedics Jean-Pierre Trottier says since 85 per cent of cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals, having an AED close by can make all the difference.

But despite these claims, there are currently no national guidelines as to how or where the devices should be kept.  While many comply with Heart and Stroke regulations, others place the devices in less readily available places.   For the city of Ottawa, this included the custodian hallways and basements of several public schools.

“The time between an onset of cardiac arrest and the use of an AED is the major determinant for how successful resuscitation attempts will be,” Trottier says.  “That’s why we encourage facilities to place their defibrillators in an easily accessible place.”

The survival rate of a cardiac arrest victim decreases by up to 10 percent for every minute delay in defibrillation.  After 12 minutes, the survival rate plummets to less than five per cent.

Councillor of Barrhaven Jan Harder says that although there is currently no legal requirement for public buildings to have an AED, the City of Ottawa has taken a proactive role.

“Ottawa has taken a leadership position and has funded the placement of defibrillators in many of their public buildings including all recreation facilities, arenas and pools,” she says.

Harder says that public access defibrillators have been used twice in Barrhaven this year.  She says that the Heart Safe City program introduced in 2001 has saved 74 lives.

According to the data, Barrhaven (Ward 3) had one of the lowest numbers of total AEDs in 2013 with only eight in public buildings.  Harder says they have added six more since April and that the number does not include the AEDs located with the Ottawa Fire Services, the Ottawa Police and the OC Transpo Special Constables in each ward.

The Ontario government has assigned almost $10 billion to placing the devices in publicly funded sports and recreation facilities as well as schools with extensive sports programs.

But like many others, Fleury thinks there is still more to be done.

“As much as we have training, the more people that are informed or educated for first aid response the better,” he says.

 

locations of public access defibrillators in Ottawa

Councillor speaks about the importance of AEDs in Rideau-Vanier area
Councillor speaks about the importance of AEDs in Rideau-Vanier area

Getting Started (Text)

Twenty five years after landmark sexual harassment case, workers still vulnerable

Whatever-Happened-To? Assignment
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By Kiran Rana

As May approaches and brings restaurant patio season, it will also mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark legal victory of one former Winnipeg waitress against sexual harassment.

When 21 –year-old Dianna Evangeline took a job waitressing at a local Winnipeg restaurant, like many young Canadians she was looking to make money to pay for her tuition.

But it wasn’t long before she was subjected to sexual harassment by a fellow employee.

After months of constant harassment and verbal abuse with no support from her employer when he was notified, Evangeline quit her job.  She filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission in 1983 against Platy Enterprises Ltd, the owners of Pharos Restaurant.

What followed was a six –year emotional rollercoaster of court dates, defeats and appeals that ultimately brought Evangeline’s case a landmark win before the Supreme Court of Canada.  Her case, Janzen v. Platy Enterprises Ltd. established that sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is illegal in Canada.  It also set a precedent, which made employers responsible for the inappropriate actions of their employers.

Evangeline has come a long way from her 21-year old self, which she describes as a “victim.”  She changed her name from Dianna Janzen, left the country, and spent decades silent on the matter, focusing on her own emotional healing.

“A lot of time has gone, a lot of bridges have been mended since that time.  Some not.  It took its toll on a lot of levels,” she says.

Today Evangeline works as a financial analyst in the health care field.  She has two children of her own.

Executive Director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission Azim Jiwa says that the landmark case changed the way we view sexual harassment because it is now legally covered and recognized by human rights codes.  He says recognizing sexual harassment as a part of sex discrimination provides women in the workplace with legal protection.

According to Jiwa and the Commission, there were 73 sex discrimination complaints filed in 1990, the year following the case.  In contrast, only 34 cases of sex discrimination were filed in 2012.

“That may be because things have improved in the workplace, but we have to consider that it could also be because people aren’t reporting the issues,” he says.

While Evangeline recognizes that times have changed and people are more sensitive towards sexual harassment, she says she is concerned about the vulnerability young people face in their first jobs.

 Aaron Hartman is a first- year student at St. Lawrence College who can relate to this vulnerability.  She’s worked numerous serving jobs in both Ottawa and Kingston in order to pay for rent, tuition and pay off loans.  She says that harassment in the serving industry is more common than statistics show.  Hartman says that some managers will exploit their power and employees are unsure of how to react.

“A lot of girls don’t feel strong enough to say something because they don’t want to lose their jobs and they’re afraid no one will believe them,” she says.

Hartman says that she left her last job because of uninvited sexual advances from her manager.

“I didn’t need the money desperately at the time so it was an easy decision to make,” she says. “But a lot of servers aren’t as lucky.”

Jiwa acknowledges this as well.  “ It’s certainly an issue with regards to human rights complaints,” he says.  “For women in the workplace in particular they are concerned about the impact a complaint will have on their employment.”

Jiwa says that the most important factor in preventing workplace discrimination is education.

“People who are suffering from discrimination should be educated on what their rights are and made aware that they can come forward and will have their issues dealt with in a positive way,” he says.

Jiwa also says that part of educating the public should involve informing potential violators of  human rights why their behaviour is unacceptable.

For Evangeline, whose stance against workplace discrimination changed Canadian law, the hope is that more women will speak out against sex discrimination in the generations to come.

 

*Documentation used

1) Supreme Court of Canada Case of Janzen v. Platy Enterprises.  I used the court case (hyperlinked above) which I found online after googling the case name.  The case was helpful because it gave the specific chronological order of the case leading up to the Supreme Court decision.  It was also helpful for a general background understanding of  what happened and the reasonings behind why the court ruled in her favour.

2) Manitoba Human Rights Commission Website.  I found the website online after a simple google search.  I used the website for a better understanding of what the Human Rights Commission does.  I also used it to understand the process of filing a complaint.  Since the story was one from Manitoba I used their Human RIghts Commission for a better understanding of what Dianna Evangeline’s process was.  I also used the website to contact the Executive Director who was extremely helpful in our interview.  Following this I compared the Human Rights Commission for Manitoba to provinces like Ontario to ensure they followed similar protocol.

Sears Canada’s Financial Woes Continue Despite Selling Assets

Business Assignment
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The results from Sears Canada’s 2013 Management Discussion and Analysis review show little promise in any turn around for the once leading department store chain.

When compared to the 2012 third quarter, 2013’s third quarter total revenue experienced a 6.4 per cent decrease.  The third quarter brings with it many more disheartening figures.  Sears Canada is suffering a net loss of $48.8 million, a decrease of 122.8 per cent since the 2012 third quarter.

With the company suffering consecutively grave net losses, they have begun selling assets in an attempt to balance the books.  According to its’ 2013 Management Discussion and Analysis review, Sears Canada received proceeds of $191 million in return for selling their leases at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga.  These stores are expected to close this April.

Yet despite the gains in inventory and assets through selling lucrative property, total assets in the 2013 third quarter have decreased by 0.03 per cent.

Kenneth Wong, a Commerce Professor at Queen’s University is not surprised that selling leases has failed to further benefit the troubled company.

“Part of the problem is when you achieve a certain size as a company, the costs aren’t dramatically reduced when you close a store,” he says. “Instead you have a constant set of fixed costs but declining revenues.”

Recent store closures aren’t the only way Sears Canada is trying to cut costs.  The company has made headlines over the past month for employee layoffs.  They announced Wednesday that they were cutting 624 employees from their workforce.  This is in addition to the already 1,600-employee layoff announced two weeks ago and the nearly 800 more employees laid off in its head offices in November.

With rivals such as Walmart, Costco and Winners gaining market share, the company has been finding it hard to compete.   Their sales have fallen for the last seven fiscal years.

“It’s pretty dismal,” Wong says.  He explained that areas where Sears Canada had once been a leader have seen huge declines in the past decade.

“Sears used to be a leader in major appliances with brand names such as Kenmore and Craftsman.   But their product quality has slowly declined over the years.”

The numbers confirm Wong’s beliefs.  Revenue relating to Major Appliances decreased by $10.8 million dollars in 2013’s third quarter.

Before leaving Sears Canada in 2005, Barry Toner worked for the company for over 33 years. In those years, Toner saw the company decline dramatically.  He started at store level and worked his way up in the company to a head buying position.

He says that working from the bottom up made him understand the importance of customer service and customer loyalty.

He says that when Sears was strong it was largely due to ideas of customer loyalty, aggressive product marketing, and great inventory.  But over the years, Sears began outsourcing to third parties instead of doing their own customer service and delivery.

He says that this resulted in a lack of pride or ownership.

“They took their eyes off and started floundering,” Toner says.  “Their strengths became their weaknesses.”

He says that Sears is an example of a company that is struggling with a dwindling customer base.

“When you lose the confidence of the customer base, and you’re not willing to turn it around, you’re heading for trouble.”

Toner also says that the company morale has gone down significantly since its strong days.  “No one wants to work there anymore.”

Wong says that this attitude translates to their customer service and creates a vicious circle.  “Staff morale is down and consequently staff service isn’t good.”

The recent financial position of the company combined with selling off their assets and employee layoffs paint a grim picture for the future of Sears Canada.

“There’s a lack of confidence both within and outside of the company,” says Toner.

“They’re running a sinking ship.”

 

 

MD&A (Text)
Total Revenue and Net Losses (in millions)