'This is not okay': Winnipeg Scrubbi contractors left without pay after cleaning company goes dark

Two Winnipeg women are among many Canadians left without payment after a BC-based cleaning company went dark this week.

The online housecleaning company Scrubbi, which uses an Uber-like app to book housecleaning services, has been at the centre of controversy since March when it began to have payroll problems, leaving numerous independent contractors across Canada without a paycheque.

Dorian Peters began cleaning houses in Winnipeg for Scrubbi last December. She said everything was going great for the first few months.

"The clients were nice, and I love to clean," she said. "It's just a satisfying job. And yeah, I was really enjoying it."

Peters said her Scrubbi paycheques were coming on time, every two weeks for the first two months of her employment. But then in spring 2023, there began to be payroll problems.

"March rolled around, and I noticed I was missing a paycheck. And then another paycheck. I was like, 'I don't know what's happening,'" Peters said.

She reached out to Scrubbi to find out what had happened to her missing pay, but got no response.

"They weren't answering their phone calls. They weren't answering my emails that I was sending. I even left voicemails, said call me back, and I still haven't heard anything back regarding the paycheques."

Peters said she continued working for Scrubbi for another month during this time, as she was still receiving other correspondence from the company.

"They were responding regarding other things that I would email about. But then as soon as I would inquire regarding my paycheques, I wouldn't hear anything back."

Peters said Scrubbi still owes her $1600.

Heather Kennedy began working for Scrubbi in April 2023, having not known about their payroll problems. Kennedy said a client ended up telling her about it.

"She said, 'I'm just letting you know Scrubbi was on the news this morning for not paying their employees.' And she said to me, 'if you want to leave and don't want to clean my house, I totally understand.'"

Kennedy said Scrubbi's payroll procedures have been inconsistent since then. She stopped working for them after not receiving payment in August. Kennedy said Scrubbi owes her more than $800, money that is sorely needed.

"(For) bills, you know, mortgage payments coming out, car payments, you have your water bill, etcetera," said Kennedy. "And it's heartbreaking, like, I don't know how I'll keep our place to live."

Kennedy said Scrubbi has also been dodging her calls.

"Nobody answers the phone. You can leave messages after messages after messages, nobody answers your calls. You send emails to them, nobody responds."

On Wednesday, CTV News Vancouver heard from a Scrubbi head office employee who said he was notified by CEO Daniel Deckert that operations had been shut down. CTV News visited Scrubbi's offices in Surrey, B.C. the next day. The doors were locked and no one was there.

Kennedy said the only option left is to take Scrubbi to court. "If that's what I have to do, I will do it," she said. "This owner needs to know that this is not okay."

-With files from CTV's Jeff Charach