3 Ontario businesses fined for illegally employing hundreds of foreign workers, say police

A CBSA patch is seen on an officer in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Three Ontario businesses have pleaded guilty and been fined after a federal investigation into unauthorized employment uncovered more than 700 illegal foreign nationals.

In a news release issued Friday, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed that CDA Landscape Services based in Ajax, Ont. was fined $400,000 after pleading guilty to 20 counts of employing foreign nationals without authorization.

The other businesses, TDA Landscape Services and SDA Services, pleaded guilty to two counts each and were both fined $25,000, border services said in a release.

CBSA spokesperson Karine Martel said SDA Services is a labour placement/landscaping company, co-located in Ajax, Ont. with TDA Landscape Services.

She confirmed that SDA Services was the smallest of the three businesses charged in this investigation.

“The workers were contracted to other businesses by these three entities to provide labor (sic) services at an hourly rate. All wages were paid to foreign national workers by CDA, TDA and SDA,” Martel said.

Officials say the case began back in 2019 when the OPP arrested a foreign national for impaired driving.

Investigators said they then uncovered a “network of unauthorized workers” spanning across Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area.

“During the investigation, more than 700 foreign nationals were identified throughout Ontario who had been employed by the organization without authorization to work in Canada,” CBSA said in a statement.

Border services said several of the workers identified through the investigation have since been removed from the country after they were “deemed inadmissible due to criminality.”

The CBSA says that it has removed 16,470 foreign nationals for immigration violations since last year.

“The charges and the sentencing reflect a thorough investigation and our commitment to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,” Aaron McCrorie, Vice President of the CBSA’s Intelligence and Enforcement Branch, said in a news release.

“CBSA officers and investigators work diligently with law enforcement partners, including the OPP, to secure the border and ensure that those who break the law are held accountable.”