The president and CEO of Fiera Foods, Boris Serebryany, in a letter to The Star newspaper in Toronto defended his company’s safety efforts, saying that full-time, part-time and temporary employees all receive the same safety training. “To be clear, Fiera Foods and our allied companies are in full compliance with government standards,” Serebryany wrote. “Furthermore, temporary and full-time employees receive the same health and safety training and education as one another.”

Fiera Foods had come under fire after the death of a temporary worker on Sept. 25; worker organizations said it was the fifth death of a contingent worker at Fiera and affiliated workplaces since 1999. Last month, Fiera Foods announced that it hired the former attorney general of Ontario to review its safety practices.