Ontario 'scumbags' guilty of withholding passports to face steeper fines, ministry says
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
“One group of workers who are often forgotten are migrant workers,” Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said during a press conference on Monday. “While most employers care about their workers, some continue to take advantage of them, including illegally holding their passports and work permits.”
McNaughton proposed new legislation that would hit employers with penalties of $100,000 to $200,000 for each passport that is withheld.
Individuals who are convicted of withholding passport would be liable to either a fine of up to $500,000, up to 12 months imprisonment, or both, McNaughton noted. Businesses that are convicted could see a fine of up to $1 million.
The new legislation comes after York police busted an alleged international labour trafficking ring where 64 Mexican-born nationals were forced to work and live in “deplorable” conditions. Police charged those allegedly involved under human trafficking laws.
With the new fines, McNaughton says they will assist the ministry’s new anti-trafficking unit, which was launched 18 months ago to fight labour trafficking in the province.
“My message to those scumbags out there abusing migrant workers is this – you can run, but you can’t hide. We will find you, fine you, and put you behind bars,” McNaughton said.
During the first year of operation, the ministry says it helped 3,500 workers regain $400,000 in wages.
On Monday, the labour ministry also proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). If passed, the maximum fine for businesses would increase to $2 million should they be convicted of an offence under it.
Additionally, McNaughton touched on how the ministry would be introducing its third edition of the Working for Workers Act on Monday, which will propose new job protections including – but not limited to – remote workers’ protections during mass terminations and amendments to require women’s-only washrooms on construction sites.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'