Cash demands totaling tens of thousands of dollars for basic employment triggered an investigation that culminated in an arrest in southern Manitoba, police said on Friday.
As CTV News reported, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that the general manager of a southern Manitoba enterprise solicited monetary sums between $10,000 and $30,000 from overseas laborers in exchange for employment. The payments were meant to cover associated immigration costs, which directly contravenes Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, investigators stated. Following a 13-month investigation that involved interviewing several individuals, Mounties determined that the suspect targeted temporary foreign workers.
CBC News reported that a 48-year-old resident of Dauphin is facing three counts of employing a foreign national without proper authorization alongside three counts of concealing or misrepresenting material facts regarding immigration applications. The RCMP human trafficking unit initiated the probe on Oct. 16, 2025, after receiving tips that an individual was exploiting employees for financial gain. The investigation continues, and the charges have not been proven in court.
Investigators have withheld the name of the business and the accused to prevent the identification of the victims. Dauphin sits about 250 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg as a small city, meaning specific identifying details could easily expose the workers involved.
“That’s something that we’re not prepared to do.” RCMP Cpl. Shane Lindsay
said RCMP Cpl. Shane Lindsay, as quoted by CBC News.
Police identified three victims who were in Canada legally, though officers did not specify whether they arrived via work permits or another program. Lindsay added that he did not know whether the victims came to Canada specifically for employment at that business. Authorities allege the accused instructed these workers to conceal or misrepresent the cash transactions when speaking with immigration officials.
Police said that employees were forced to work overtime without any compensation. Anyone who voiced a complaint faced reduced hours or direct threats that their work permits would be revoked.
Such threats carried immense weight because pulling a work permit jeopardized the workers’ pathways to permanent residency status in Canada. Following an arrest on Nov. 5, the suspect was released on an undertaking with strict conditions prohibiting him from visiting the business or contacting the victims.
In addition to the criminal charges, a referral went out to Manitoba’s Employment Standards Branch to investigate potential violations under the Worker Recruitment and Protection Act.
Police note that labour trafficking and exploitation cases are surfacing more frequently across the province. Lindsay described the practice as very common, stating his belief that it occurs in all corners of Manitoba and across numerous industries.
“If you see it happening, or it’s happening somewhere and you suspect it, please report it and we can try and help those people out.”
Lindsay told CBC News.
