A fatal workplace incident at Heritage Inn in Saskatoon has drawn condemnation from UFCW Canada Local 1400, which represents unionized workers locked out from the hotel for more than a year.
The union has demanded accountability from Heritage Inn after a worker died on Oct. 15 following a fall while on duty. UFCW Local 1400 President Lucia Flack Figueiredo described the incident as a “tragic loss” and criticized the hotel’s response as insensitive and irresponsible, stating that the worker’s family received no timely notification from the employer.
According to UFCW 1400, Heritage Inn management did not contact the deceased worker’s emergency contacts to inform them of her death or offer condolences. The union claims the family’s repeated phone calls to the hotel over the subsequent ten days went unanswered, leaving them without information about the incident or access to any benefits they might be entitled to. After seeking assistance, the family formally engaged the union’s support on Oct. 25.
Figueiredo said that the worker, a “dedicated and loving mother” who immigrated to Canada to pursue a better life, deserved “a safe workplace” and for her family to be treated “with respect, dignity, and compassion.”
Further concerns have surfaced over the hotel’s response to the incident, with UFCW 1400 alleging that Heritage Inn did not report the fatality to Saskatchewan’s Occupational Health and Safety division or to the Workers’ Compensation Board in a timely manner. The union says the incident was reported to the Workers’ Compensation Board only on November 1—two weeks after the worker’s death.
The union, which has been locked out of Heritage Inn since September 2023 in a dispute over a new collective agreement, claims that replacement workers hired by the hotel lack adequate training in health and safety protocols. Reports from the hotel indicate that emergency response procedures were not followed after the worker’s fall, according to UFCW 1400.
UFCW 1400, Saskatchewan’s largest private-sector union, is calling for an investigation into the hotel’s handling of the incident, citing concerns about workplace safety and labour rights for employees. The union has criticized Heritage Inn for hiring vulnerable workers—many of whom are newcomers to Canada—as replacements, alleging they face substandard training and working conditions.