An Ontario man has been fined and sentenced after pleading guilty to employing foreign nationals without authorization in Alberta’s tourism sector.
The Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Kevin Kielty entered guilty pleas in Alberta Court of Justice on March 2 to two offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Kielty was handed a sentence that includes two years of probation, 50 hours of community service and a $70,000 fine.
Authorities say the case stems from a joint investigation launched in June 2022, when the CBSA and the RCMP’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team received information from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Barrie Police Service about suspected illegal immigration-related activities.
Investigators found that foreign nationals were travelling from Ontario to Alberta to work without authorization in the hospitality industry in Banff National Park, allegedly coordinated by an employment agency known as One Team, owned by Kielty.
Further investigation uncovered about 90 foreign nationals from Mexico working illegally at four resort hotels in the Banff and Jasper area, police said.
Kielty was charged in May 2024 with employing foreign nationals without authorization and counselling them to work illegally in Canada.
Officials noted this is his second conviction under the same legislation. In November 2023, he pleaded guilty in Ontario to four similar offences following a CBSA investigation and was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the conviction highlights the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies in protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.
Janalee Bell-Boychuk, regional director general for the CBSA’s Prairie Region, said the case reflects ongoing efforts to investigate immigration fraud and protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.
Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland of the RCMP’s Federal Policing Northwest Region said the investigation demonstrates how coordinated efforts among agencies help identify and disrupt criminal activity.
The CBSA says it continues to receive tips about suspected immigration violations from the public and partner agencies, and encourages reporting through its Border Watch Line.