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CALGARY — An Ontario man has been fined $70,000 and sentenced to probation following a joint immigration investigation into illegal employment at hotels in Alberta’s mountain parks.
The Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police say Kevin Kielty pleaded guilty March 2 in the Alberta Court of Justice to two counts related to the unauthorized employment of foreign nationals.
Kielty, who owned an employment agency known as One Team, was sentenced to two years of probation, 50 hours of community service and the fine.
Investigators say the case began in 2022 after police in Ontario shared information about suspected immigration-related offences. The investigation found foreign nationals were travelling from Ontario to Alberta to work illegally in the hospitality sector in Banff National Park.
Authorities later identified about 90 foreign nationals from Mexico working without authorization at four resort hotels in the Banff and Jasper area.
Kielty was charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for employing foreign nationals without authorization and counselling them to work illegally in Canada.
Officials say this is his second conviction for similar offences. In 2023, he was sentenced in Ontario to 18 months of house arrest after pleading guilty to multiple employment-related charges.
Federal officials say the case highlights ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and prevent worker exploitation.
The CBSA is encouraging the public to report suspected immigration violations through its Border Watch Line.
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