Employment agency owner pleads guilty for second time to illegally employing foreign nationals in Banff, Jasper hotels

An Ontario employment agency owner has admitted he broke the law in getting jobs for immigrants at resort hotels in Banff and Jasper.

Kevin Kielty entered his plea of guilty to two counts of unauthorized employment of foreign nationals on March 2. He has since been sentenced to two years probation, 50 hours of community service, and a fine of $70,000.

A joint investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP started back in 2022, when the agency and RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) got a tip from the Ontario Provincial Police and Barrie Police Service about suspected illegal immigration-related activities.

The initial investigation identified a group of foreign nationals travelling from Ontario to Alberta to work illegally in the hospitality industry in Banff National Park, co-ordinated by an employment agency called One Team.

Further investigation identified an additional 90 foreign nationals from Mexico working illegally in four resort hotels in the Banff and Jasper area.

This is Kielty’s second conviction for employing foreign nationals in a capacity in which foreign nationals are not authorized. In November 2023, he pleaded guilty to four counts of employment-related offences in Ontario after a CBSA investigation.

He was sentenced to 18 months house arrest with various conditions.

From April 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, CBSA opened 241 criminal investigations into suspected offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Earlier this month, the government of Alberta tabled legislation aimed at cracking down on “bad actors” in the country’s immigration system, like employers, foreign worker recruiters, and immigration consultants they say are committing fraud and eroding trust in the system.

Proposed measures include the creation of a registry of employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers, enhanced licensing for immigration consultants and foreign worker recruiters, and establish punishable offences for those who violate the law.