Starbucks Canada closes 1,200 stores for bias training

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – Starbucks will close about 1,200 Canadian outlets Monday for four hours of staff training on “race, bias and inclusion.”

The move was spurred by the arrest of two black men who were sitting in a U.S. Starbucks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in April.

The arrests sparked backlash and a public outcry.

“The reprehensible event in Philadelphia prompted us to reflect, and that led to this day,” Starbucks Coffee Canada president Michael Conway wrote in an open letter addressed to all customers. “But this isn’t just about the events in Philadelphia, or about race, or about social challenges in America. This is about humanity.”

The company closed its 8,000 American stores May 29 for the same training as is happening today in Canada. Starbucks has 175,000 U.S. employees with the Canadian operation employing 14,000 full-and part-time workers.

While figures were not available on how much the Canadian closures would cost the company in sales, it was estimated that the American shutdown cost $16.7 million.

Conway said in the letter that the stores will be closed for only the second time. The first was about 10 years ago as employees were taught how to make the ultimate espresso. The first Starbucks in Canada opened in Vancouver in 1987.

“We’re closing our stores again now because we must never be complacent in our desire to be inclusive, to live our mission and values, and to create a culture of warmth and belonging every time,” he wrote in the letter.

A manager at the Philadelphia outlet called emergency services after the male customers were denied permission to use the bathroom – they were told it was for customers only – and then sat down without placing an order. The manager no longer works for Starbucks,

Starbucks U.S. employees have been told to allow everyone access to washrooms, but in Canada that policy is being considered as part of a 90-day review of operations.