The former owner of Dutchie’s Fresh Market in Kitchener has been charged with five criminal offences. Michael Renkema was formally charged on Aug. 11 with two counts of making a threat to cause death or bodily harm, as well as three counts of criminal harassment. The charges date back to November 2025, just weeks after the last Dutchie’s store in Waterloo Region closed its doors. The charges have not been tested in court, but Renkema has a hearing scheduled in a Kitchener courtroom on Oct. 7. ESA cases Renkema previously pleaded guilty to 13 Employment Standards Act (ESA) violations and was forced to pay $32,500 in fines. ESA violations are handled in provincial offenses court. They are not part of an individual’s criminal record. In March 2026, Renkema and several numbered companies associated with Renkema were hit with an additional 64 ESA violations. Thirty-nine of those fall under Section 132 of the Employment Standards Act, described as a general offence for “a person who contravenes this act or the regulations or fails to comply with an order, direction or other requirement under this act or the regulations.” The remaining 25 were for Section 136, a director of a corporation who “fails to comply with an order.” The ESA offenses are still going through the courts and no decision or verdict has been issued.
