Volume 88 | Issue 10
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obiter-dicta.ca
The Definitive Source for Osgoode News since 1928
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
NOT-SO-GOODWILL
The continued downfall of a
charitable empire.
ê Photo credit: Stan Behal/Toronto Sun
-
nadia aboufariss
Havi ng to l ive paycheck-to-paycheck is a
harsh reality for many, and one of the scariest
thoughts for a low-income worker is arriving
to your job and seeing that it no longer exists.
This happened on 17 January 2016 to the workers at Goodwi l l Toronto, when it closed si xteen stores a nd ten donation centres i n the
GTA, leaving 430 front line employees jobless
with no notice. The Canadian Airport Workers
Union, who represents the workers, said that
giving the employees no notice was a violation
of their contract. That Goodwill’s policy is to
hire marginalized groups who normally struggle to fi nd employment—d isabled, vetera ns,
and individuals with criminal records—makes
the unexpected layoffs seem that much harsher.
Ostensibly, the reason for closing the stores
was a cash-f low crisis, due to slow sales and
rising rent. One of the shuttered stores had a
handwritten sign on the door saying “unforeseen ci rcu msta nces.” W h i le no one is a rg ui ng that th is certai n ly was a su rprise to the
workers lef t i n a desperate situ ation, looki ng at t he record s of G oo dw i l l i n Toronto
show s a h i stor y of f i n a nc i a l m i sm a n a gem e nt t h at wa s a ny t h i n g but u n fore s e e n .
The first inkling of a problem at Goodwill
occurred in 2005, when the charity was forced
to sell its f lagship store on Jarvis street that it
had occupied for seventy years. A lthough the
company made fourteen million dollars on that
sale, the f u nds qu ick ly d isappeared and the
» continued on page 11
In this Issue ...
editorial
Let’s Talk About Lifting the Cloak of Secrecy . 2
news
The Zika Virus Outbreak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
opinion
Mental Health in Law School . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
arts & culture
The Toronto Classical Music Scene . . . . . . . . . 12
sports
The Case For Rule Five Selections in
Major League Baseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14