Mr. Hooge was a mill worker for Gillwood Remanufacturing Ltd.
("Gillwood"), which owned and operated a mill in
Chilliwack. He was originally hired in 1975 and worked his way up
the ranks to the position of production supervisor. Hooge
maintained that position through a series of ownership changes
until Gillwood purported to "lay him off" Indefinitely in
August 2011.
By way of a letter from his lawyer, Hooge denied that Gillwood
had the right to lay him off and asserted that the layoff
constituted a fundamental breach of his employment contract. He
sought damages for that breach and stated that absent a timely
response to his demand, he would commence legal proceedings.
Indeed, Hooge commenced an action seeking damages for wrongful
dismissal on September 12, 2011. One week later, Gillwood stated
that it was recalling Hooge to work, effective immediately. Hooge
declined to accept Gillwood's offer to return to work.
