Editor:
Thank you to Jeff von Rotz for his written apology following his email to Canmore Pride. This incident has caused sadness and hurt felt by many, including those of us who work at Valbella. Many people including my friends within the LGBTQ+ community are asking me why I work there. Here are a few reasons why neither me nor other employees have resigned.
First, I have never seen any hate in the von Rotz family. They have built Valbella’s to be a company that has a staff of all colors, races, and genders. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, and we are accepted for our differences by each of the von Rotz family. When we did our diversity, equity, inclusion training, the facilitator mentioned how diverse a staff we are.
Second, they are a loving, generous family that always places their employees above all. They treat us as though we are a family. We want to stick together because we know this is a place of kindness.
Third, the von Rotz family has continued to pay all the employees their regular work hours, ensuring our lives are not disrupted. Forty-five employees are part of this tightknit community of Canmore, needing to feed their families, pay their rent and mortgages. We all are contributing to our local community and we want to be a part of life here.
Lastly, the Valbella staff are appreciated for their work. Many employee appreciation events are held throughout the year for us and our families. Employee housing is available. They accommodate us in our hours of personal need. They go beyond what is an obligation of an employer. They all care-including Jeff!
I am proud to be part of the Valbella family. I look forward to the best Valbella days to come.
Felix Pfister,
Canmore
