Several Vancouver Island employers are among hundreds of businesses across Canada that have been penalized for violating rules under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.
A review by Victoria Buzz of the federal government’s public list of non-compliant employers found 11 Vancouver Island employers and organizations were issued a combined $213,000 in monetary penalties following decisions made in 2025 and 2026.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced this week that it issued more than $10.2 million in monetary penalties between April 1st, 2025, and March 31st, more than doubling the $4.5 million issued the previous year.
During that period, the department completed 1,488 employer compliance inspections, with 12% of employers found to be non-compliant.
In total, 30 employers were banned from participating in the program.
The federal government says the TFW program is intended as a last resort for employers who cannot find qualified Canadians or permanent residents to fill available jobs.
The largest penalty issued to a Vancouver Island employer went to Lee Soo Hair Corporation in Victoria, which was fined $75,000 following a final decision issued in February.
The company is currently listed as ineligible due to an unpaid monetary penalty.
The second-largest penalty was issued to Hudson Brew Corp., operating as Hudson Taphouse & Brewpub in downtown Victoria.
The business was fined $71,000 following a final decision issued in March 2025 and is also listed as ineligible due to an unpaid monetary penalty.
Other Vancouver Island employers listed by the federal government include:
- Har Har Religious Education Society (Port Alberni) — $11,000
- Royal Tandoor Indian Cuisine Ltd. (Victoria) — $10,000
- Cooper’s Cove Oyster Farm Ltd. (Sooke) — $10,000
- Itanovin (Victoria) — $10,000
- Kattias Kitchen Ltd. (Victoria) — $7,250
- Leader SRL (Victoria) — $5,000
- Mozzanica SRL (Victoria) — $5,000
- Navnirmaan Cultural and Religious Foundation (Port Alberni) — $5,000
- Island Hothouse Inc. (Ladysmith) — $3,750
Five Vancouver Island employers are currently listed by the federal government as ineligible to participate in the TFW program due to unpaid monetary penalties: Lee Soo Hair Corporation, Hudson Brew Corp., Royal Tandoor Indian Cuisine Ltd., Har Har Religious Education Society and Navnirmaan Cultural and Religious Foundation.
The federal government says employers using the TFW program must demonstrate they have made significant efforts to recruit Canadians first, pay proper wages and provide safe and healthy working conditions.
Examples of non-compliance include failing to pay workers properly, violating federal or provincial labour laws, providing inaccurate information during Labour Market Impact Assessment applications, failing to provide a workplace free from abuse or refusing to cooperate with inspections.
As part of recent changes to the program, employers hiring through the low-wage stream must now advertise positions for eight consecutive weeks, demonstrate stronger efforts to recruit Canadians, particularly youth, and face increased scrutiny in sectors considered at higher risk, including retail, food services, accommodation and trucking.
The federal government says employers found violating the TWF program can face administrative monetary penalties of up to $1 million per year, along with temporary or permanent bans from participating in the program.
See the full list of companies penalized here.
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Way too high a turnover throughout the story.
And they can easily find Canadian workers, but they don't.
