But widow still need to file freedom of information request to know findings
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has completed its investigation into the sudden death of an Amazon worker last year, but his widow still does not know details of the findings, according to a report.
On Jan. 15, 2024, the Amazon fulfilment centre in St. Thomas, Ont. was evacuated because of a fire alarm.
Workers were told to leave the building at 11:10 pm, while the region was under a cold weather alert, with the temperature feeling like -25 C with the windchill. They were allowed back inside at 11:27 pm.
About 45 minutes after re-entering the building and warming up in a break room, Paulo Desouza Bezerra collapsed near his workstation. Employees were encouraged to warm up in the break room before returning to their workstations, spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said, according to The London Free Press. Cold-weather kits, including blankets, hats, gloves, and socks, were distributed to employees as they exited, Lynch Vogel added.
The page for the crowdfunding campaign says Desouza Bezerra died from a heart attack, but an official cause of death has not been released.
An Amazon spokesperson previously said the incident did appear to be work related.
Freedom-of-information request
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour completed the investigation in December 2024, however, Sheila Albuquerque – Desouza Bezerra’s widow – will need to file a freedom-of-information (FOI) request to obtain the report, including the autopsy results, according to The London Free Press’ report.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, families of deceased workers are not automatically provided investigation details. Instead, they must navigate the FOI process, which can take 30 days or more and often involves technical language.
This process has added to her burden.
“It’s a lot,” she said, according to the report.
Albuquerque and her two-year-old son Logan are spending time with her family in Brazil and organizing a celebration of life to mark the anniversary of DeSouza Bezerra’s death.
“Right now, I’m trying to find some peace so I can return (to Canada) with more energy,” Albuquerque told The Free Press from Brazil. “2024 was a really difficult year.”
The couple, who emigrated to Canada from Brazil in 2010, had recently moved to London from Toronto, seeking better jobs and housing. DeSouza Bezerra began working at Amazon shortly after the fulfillment centre opened in October 2023.
FOI process criticized
Sudbury MPP Jamie West, labour critic for Ontario’s New Democratic Party, criticized the lack of family involvement in such investigations, according to the report.
“There’s no recognition of a next-of-kin or the idea that the family should be involved,” West said to The London Free Press. “It’s almost like a re-traumatization every time there’s an update.”
West emphasized the need for systemic changes to make the process more accessible and compassionate, pertaining to the FOI request process.
“It’s a major oversight of compassion for the family who is grieving through this process and doesn’t know the results,” he said.
Organizations like the Workers Action Centre in Toronto, which assists low-wage and precariously employed workers, also help families file FOI requests. However, the nonprofit faces resource constraints that limit its capacity to offer widespread support.
Previously, Caroline Senneville, president of The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), raised safety concerns at an Amazon facility in Laval, Quebec.
“Their working conditions are just horrible. A lot of health and safety issues out there.”
