Winnipeg construction manager fined $50K for employing illegal workers

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

A Winnipeg construction manager was sentenced to 20 months of house arrest and fined $50,000 for hiring illegal workers.

The investigation began in August 2023, when the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) learned of the employment and mistreatment of unauthorized workers at a Winnipeg construction site. Investigators then found paperwork and work permit applications linked to a construction site manager.

In May 2024, CBSA executed search warrants, seizing several documents and electronic devices, which revealed the site manager was luring foreign nationals to Canada to work without authorization. CBSA adds that he was also underpaying workers with valid work permits.

The accused, Gurwinder Singh Ahluwalia, was charged in November 2024. Last week, he pled guilty to one count of unauthorized employment of a foreign national contrary to section 124 of the ‘Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.’