On December 16, 2014, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) charged Sean Horsfall and Len’s Cove Marina Limited with one count of employing a foreign national without authorization to work contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA); one count of forgery, one count of using a forged document and one count of falsifying employment records under the Criminal Code.
Following a tip received by the Border Watch Line, CBSA officers arrested a worker at Len’s Cove Marina who was not in possession of a valid work permit. Further to an investigation into the individual’s employment status, the CBSA determined that Horsfall had taken steps to conceal the illegal employment, which included falsifying employment documents.
Horsfall will make a court appearance on the charges on January 23, 2015 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brockville, Ontario.
Quick Facts
- The IRPA requires all foreign workers to have authorization to engage in employment in Canada.
- Foreign nationals found to be working in Canada without proper authorization are in violation of the IRPA and may be issued a removal order and could be prosecuted.
- The CBSA lays charges when there is sufficient evidence to support convictions for deliberate or willful violations of the IRPA.
- The penalties for employers who fail to abide by the law range from summary to indictable convictions with a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and two years’ imprisonment.
- Anyone with information about suspicious cross-border or illegal immigration activity is encouraged to call the CBSA Border Watch toll-free line at 1-888-502-9060.
Quote
“Thanks to the hard work of CBSA officers, we continue to identify illegal foreign workers and hold the employers of undocumented workers accountable in order to ensure the integrity of the immigration system, preserve favourable labour market conditions for Canadians, and protect Canadian businesses and workers from illegal operations.”
- Jeff Davidson, CBSA Director of Enforcement and Intelligence Operations Division
Associated Links
CBSA Border Watch Toll Free Line
Working in Canada
– 30 –
Caroline Desjarlais
Canada Border Services Agency
Northern Ontario Region
613-991-1591
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