An Oshawa court has fined three Ontario companies a combined $450,000 after more than 700 foreign nationals were found working without valid permits.
The Canada Border Services Agency said the businesses were sentenced on February 28 after pleading guilty to immigration-related offences uncovered during a joint investigation with the Ontario Provincial Police.
“The charges and the sentencing reflect a thorough investigation and our commitment to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system,” said Aaron McCrorie, who acts as the vice president of the CBSA’s intelligence and enforcement branch.
“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,” McRorie continued.
CDA Landscape Services, based in Ajax, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of employing foreign nationals without authorization and received a $400,000 fine.
The CBSA noted the investigation focused on illegal employment practices and involved more than 700 workers who were working without the required documentation.
Border officials began investigating the business practices of Ajax-based CDA Landscape Services and then expanded that probe into other jurisdictions, said the CBSA.
TDA Landscape Services and SDA Services also pleaded guilty to two counts of employing a foreign national without authorization and were each fined $25,000.
The investigation began in 2019 after a foreign national was arrested for impaired driving by Ontario Provincial Police, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
That arrest led to a broader probe by the CBSA and OPP, which uncovered a network of unauthorized workers operating across several jurisdictions in southern and eastern Ontario, including the Greater Toronto Area.
Federal officials say the workers were employed without the proper permits, prompting a years-long investigation into illegal labour practices.
During the investigation, the CBSA said more than 700 foreign nationals who had been employed by organizations without authorization to work in Canada were identified throughout Ontario.
Several individuals identified during the investigation were deemed inadmissible to Canada due to criminality and were deported, the Canada Border Services Agency said.
In 2024, the agency removed more than 16,470 foreign nationals who were found to violate the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The CBSA says it plans to increase that number to 20,000 removals annually — a 25 per cent boost — over the next two fiscal years, 2025–26 and 2026–27.