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.
A report by the City of Calgary presented to councillors says blanket rezoning has so far required only "minimal" upgrades to infrastructure.
Changes are coming to residential recycling in Toronto starting in the new year, two councillors announced on Thursday.
Before a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s northwest coast can be built, there's another box that needs to be checked: a massive investment in carbon capture and storage in central Alberta.
Jeremy Tunraluk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), is on leave from his position after he was charged with assault.
The head of Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission says the independent body should stop organizing post-debate news conferences and will make changes to how it decides what leaders to invite after this spring's leadership debate was surrounded by controversy.
The Alberta Health Services CEO who took over after a controversial firing in January is now himself off the job.
Standing inside her non-profit managed rental unit in central Windsor, Ont., Sue Pare points to a crack in her kitchen floor she can’t get fixed.
Five people were sent to hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries, after a fire broke out at a fraternity house near Western University prompting a police investigation.
A rusting and derelict ship that’s been looming large over the waterfront in Springdale for years will soon be removed and disposed of by the federal government.
Greater Sudbury taxpayers will be paying 3.9 per cent more in property taxes in 2026.
When it comes to wintry weather, the Maritimes has certainly dipped a toe into the water with this week's chilly temperatures and snow.
N.B. Power is warning that the U.S. company it hired to build and run a billion-dollar gas plant could walk away in April — a move that would set the project back years, and possibly lead to power shortages in the province.
After Serge Belloncik suffered a stroke in 2022, he developed aphasia, a communication disorder affecting his ability to speak.