Sask. immigration employee accused of taking bribes, laundering proceeds of fraud
CBC
An employee with the Saskatchewan immigrant nominee program is accused of using his job to enrich himself and launder the proceeds of financial fraud, RCMP say.
Saskatoon resident Tony Dou is charged with several financial crimes in connection with his full-time employment with the provincial government's nominee program, which connects foreign workers with local businesses looking to fill jobs.
The RCMP's federal serious and organized crime unit charged Dou on April 29 and arrested him on May 5.
An RCMP news release said from April 2015 to July 2022, Dou participated in fraud, theft and money laundering while he was a government employee.
Dou allegedly took more than $650,000 from nominee program participants. RCMP did not clarify whether that includes both foreign workers and Saskatchewan businesses.
RCMP also allege he altered documents, accessed government databases without authorization, and laundered the proceeds of criminal activity.
"Breach of trust investigations allege violations of confidence and integrity, which are fundamental pillars of public office," Saskatchewan RCMP Supt. Andrew Farquhar said in a statement.
Dou is charged with:
He's set to appear in Saskatoon provincial court on May 20.
The province recently rebooted its nominee program with stricter criteria after a five-week pause in applications that started when Ottawa slashed the number of available spots for foreign workers in the province.
Under the Saskatchewan program, employers are allowed to hire foreign nationals if they're able to prove they can't find anyone else in the province to fill a position.
Once a business is qualified, they are provided with a job approval form allowing them to hire a foreign national under the program.
That person must then work full time for that employer for at least six months to qualify for the program and stay in the country.
More than 90 per cent of the province's economic immigration happens through the Saskatchewan immigrant nominee program, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training.
The future of a national historic site in Fredericton is up for discussion at meetings across New Brunswick in the next few weeks as the Anglican diocese considers what to do about costly repairs needed at Christ Church Cathedral.
EDITOR'S NOTE: CBC has removed the names and photo from this story. Now that the people are no longer missing, their identity is no longer in the public interest.
Brandon’s firefighter-paramedic union is sounding the alarm about a new provincial directive it says could leave the city without local ambulances when residents need them most.
CBC's road trip series Land of Living Stories explores inspiring stories of community spirit from across Saskatchewan. In our latest visit, CBC-Radio Canada hit the road to La Ronge. This is the fifth of a multi-part series from that community.
Wildfire season has officially started in Alberta. As the snow starts to melt, people are starting to wonder: Will I have to evacuate this year?
Cassandra Lee is getting ready to pack up her home and family to move more than 3,200 kilometres across the Canada-U.S. border, in search of more "support" and "stability."
To earn the title of master sake sommelier, Yoshi Takaoka says it's not just about knowledge, "we need to demonstrate how to serve the sake perfectly."
Over 115 years ago, more than 150 members of Calgary’s Black community gathered at a venue called Eagle Hall on First Street S.W. for what a local newspaper called “one of the most successful balls of the season.”
Spring is heralded by the return of geese, but to many in Alberta's poultry industry, migration means something different.
Ontario's legislature is set to resume sitting Monday after a 14-week break that ended in a veritable deluge of news, partial proposals and headline-grabbing musings from Premier Doug Ford and his government.
What started out as a class project has landed four University of Guelph students in the finals of the NHL and NHLPA Hockey Innovation Competition in Ottawa.
A new generation of kids on Prince Edward Island will get a chance to peep through the Polka Dot Door this summer.
Five athletes from Mistissini are gearing up to ride 1,000 kilometres this summer as part of Quebec’s Grand défi cycling challenge, but first they need to raise $13,500 to support the ride.