EDITOR’S NOTE: Story has been updated to reflect new information. A previous version of this story stated that Samantha Schreurs had not received her paycheck at the end of April when in fact she had. It has been confirmed that other employees had received bounced cheques.
After Rocky Mountain Coffee Co.’s three locations closed suddenly last week, 29 employees are trying to figure out what to do next.
Samantha Schreurs was a manager at the Courtenay hospital location, and says management was forced to close the café on Friday because they could no longer pay for their bills.
READ MORE: cafés close down at North Island Hospital’s Courtenay, Campbell River campuses
“The past month [some] paycheques have been bouncing, our bills haven’t been getting paid for Gordon Food Services and Payworks, so we lost our payroll company. We couldn’t order from our GFS company because the owner isn’t paying the bills,” she said.
The café is owned by David Gan, who lives in Singapore, according to Schreurs. She said the last time he had visited the cafés was Easter.
“Other management came down [on Friday] and basically said that we have to close the doors because we can’t order, […] so we had no choice,” said Schreurs.
With the closure, Schreurs said she will have to get employment insurance to support herself and two girls while she figures out her next steps.
“Kinda put me in a tough spot because now I can’t afford my childcare,” she said.
Schreurs adds she loved her job and always thought of the café as bringing light into the hospital. While many employees are now out of work, she says it is also a loss for the hospitals.
The Social Room in Comox is also owned by Gan and was also closed on Friday. A note on the door from the landlord stated that the tenant failed to pay rent and the landlord will relet the property.
jolene.rudisuela@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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