Calgary 
Lisa Pedersen, a former Starbucks Canada shift supervisor, is suing the global coffee chain for wrongful termination.
Pedersen, who is battling a terminal blood cancer alleges that she was dismissed for supposedly breaching COVID-19 and food safety protocols.
Pedersen, a single mother of three, including a disabled son, has been employed at the Starbucks outlet on Stonegate Drive, Airdrie, Alberta since August 2017. Pedersen has received numerous positive reviews and was named “Partner of the Quarter.”
Pedersen’s job gave her the flexibility to care for her son, Gage, who suffers from multiple medical conditions, including global developmental delay and vocal cord paralysis. However, her health deteriorated in April 2021. Despite feeling unwell, she was asked to continue working. After a negative COVID-19 test, she was unexpectedly dismissed in May 2021.
Post-termination, Lisa discovered she had myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), a rare, terminal blood cancer that mirrors COVID-19 symptoms she experienced preceding her dismissal. Despite informing Starbucks that her symptoms were cancer-related, not COVID-19 as presumed, she received no response from the company.
“After I was fired, I reached out to Starbucks’ human resources department to appeal the decision,” said Lisa in a news release. “I was told the company was firing employees who worked sick, but that my appeal would be investigated.”
Her termination led her to lose a life insurance policy she could have converted had she received a proper termination notice.
“I had a life insurance policy through Starbucks,” said Lisa. “I’ve lost that now, and I can’t get a new policy through any other insurance companies because you have to be cancer-free for five years, and my type of cancer, there is no cure.”
The lawsuit seeks to secure the financial support Pedersen needs, given her inability to apply for a new policy due to her cancer condition.
Pedersen is being represented by Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, the largest employment law firm in Canada focusing on employees’ rights. Associate Aaron Levitin argues that Starbucks, priding itself as a responsible employer, needs to make a justified decision and support its workers.
Aaron Levitin says the case highlights the struggles faced by workers, particularly those with medical conditions, during the pandemic era.
