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San Group sues City of Port Alberni over ‘clandestine’ search
August 2, 2024 By Jennifer Ellson
San Group's Coulson Mill in Port Alberni, B.C., sits next to a deep-water port. Photo: Adam Kveton/Annex Business Media. San Group has filed a lawsuit against the City of Port Alberni following a “clandestine” overnight search of its reman facility last month, alleging the operation has severely harmed its reputation.
The search, conducted on July 4-5, was in response to allegations that the company mistreated temporary foreign workers by providing substandard accommodation. In a statement, San Group said the search was “a breach of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, trespass, invasion of privacy, abuse of process, and negligence arising from an unauthorized, secret, clandestine, and illegal search conducted overnight.” During the nearly seven-hour operation, the access road was blocked by fire trucks and police cruisers, according to a notice of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week.
“In a small town such as Port Alberni, the mustering of substantial numbers of public servants to perform a secret search through the night foreseeably attracted substantial attention and became the source of rumours… leading to widespread speculation that has been highly damaging to the plaintiffs’ business and reputation,” the claim states.
The claim also alleges that the search was conducted without judicial authorization, notice, or the company’s permission, with the advance knowledge of the city’s officials. The company seeks a court declaration that the search was illegal, as well as general, special, aggravated, and punitive damages. They also request an injunction preventing further searches and the use of any information obtained, along with a court order requiring the city to publicly acknowledge the search’s illegality.
Bob Bortolin, San Group’s vice-president of business development, told CFI that the company aims to clear its name and restore its reputation.
“The owners of San Group are also immigrants, and they know how it is to work in a foreign land; hence, they will never think of abusing their employees,” Bortolin said. He emphasized that the company takes worker welfare seriously.
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