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Alberta Labour inspectors find no infractions at Lethbridge Burger King

Click to play video: 'Lethbridge Burger King under investigation after it’s accused of having foreign workers living in basement'
Lethbridge Burger King under investigation after it’s accused of having foreign workers living in basement
WATCH ABOVE: Alberta's labour minister has issued a statement after an AHS inspector found evidence of living accommodations for foreign workers in the basement of a Lethbridge Burger King – Jan 18, 2018

Alberta Labour said it found no violations at a Lethbridge Burger King where an earlier public health inspection found evidence of foreign workers sleeping in the restaurant.

READ MORE: Inspection finds evidence of foreign workers living at Lethbridge Burger King 

Last week, Alberta Health Services ordered the franchise to remove all mattresses and furnishings and no longer let people stay, live or sleep on the premises.

Alberta Health Services said the owner has complied with the order, which also flagged issues around cleanup from a burst pipe and storage of unused equipment.

The provincial labour ministry said it received no formal complaint, but investigated when it learned of the workers’ reported living arrangements.

Spokesman Andrew Hanon said there was a site inspection on Thursday and no occupational health and safety or employment standards issues were found.

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He said an employee at the restaurant who was in Canada on a work permit was confirmed to be living elsewhere.

“All Albertans deserve workplaces that are safe, fair and family-friendly and we take all reports of this nature very seriously,” Hanon said in an emailed statement Friday.

“Alberta’s workplace laws apply equally to everyone and any accusation of an employer potentially taking advantage of workers or putting worker safety at risk is completely unacceptable, and will not be tolerated.”

READ MORE: Man claims he found a foreign object in fast food meal

Burger King said in an emailed statement earlier this week that it had spoken with the independent owner of the location and had no new information to provide Friday.

“He has confirmed that the accusations regarding accommodations are not true,” said the company. “However, we will continue to ensure compliance with our high operational standards.”

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