Death of SFU janitor amplifies calls for better working conditions

In the chemistry wing of SFU’s science centre lay flowers and a photo of Kulbir Kaila.

This is where the 61-year-old, who had been working as a janitor at the university for 20 years, took her final breaths.

It happened on July 28, 2025, towards the end of her shift.

According to the WorkSafe report, she was found unconscious by another worker.

By the time paramedics arrived, she was already dead.

Gurpreet Samra, Kaila’s niece, told The Leader Spirit, “She was a little stressed about the job. She will mention to me that she’s having a hard time.”

Kaila’s family says it was a heart attack that took her life – but they believe the stress and workload she faced on the job may have played a part.

“The company needs to re-examine the workload. The workload was very immense. She had many areas to cover. It involved a lot of moving from different buildings. I don’t think it was humanely possible for one person to do that,” said Palbinder Johal, Kaila’s sister-in-law.

“She was a nice person. She was pressured. She told everyone,” said Aruna Sharma, a cleaner at BEST, a janitorial services provider.

On Thursday, a memorial was held in honour of Kaila, accompanied by calls to improve conditions for those doing custodial jobs on campus.

“Which is low-wage work, predominantly done by racialized women and immigrants to Canada,” explained Enda Brophy, founding member of Contract Workers Justice at SFU.

“The nature of custodial work is physically demanding, and the workload is heavier across all SFU campuses,” said Shaneza Bacchus, President, CUPE 3338.

Especially, the union says, after budget cuts at SFU last year.

The university contracts custodial staff through Coquitlam based cleaning company, BEST.

“When the university contracts out this work, it gives license to contractor to treat workers as it sees fit,” said Brophy.

Sean Tucker, Professor of Occupational Health and Safety at the University of Regina said in an interview with The Leader Spirit, “looking at circumstances of this incident, I am troubled by the facts leading up to this. There does need to be added public transparency, so that vulnerable workers can trust the regulatory system, employers to ensure they’re carrying out their responsibilities under the law.”

SFU tells The Leader Spirit that the university will take necessary steps that may arise from WorkSafe and the BC Coroner’s investigations.

Meanwhile, in a statement, BEST says it will take immediate action, including modifying workloads and schedules where needed so that team members are not overworked.