Excerpt from the government of Ontario’s ‘Newsroom’
Norcon Security & Investigation Services Ltd., a security guard services company based in Carp near Ottawa, was fined $20,000 for a violation of the Employment Standards Act after ignoring Orders to Pay issued by a Ministry of Labour employment standards officer. Two directors of the company were also fined $9,500 and $500 for ignoring the orders.
Between March 2006 and April 2007, the Ministry of Labour received 32 claims of unpaid wages from employees and former employees of Norcon. An employment standards officer determined that the claimants were owed a total of about $70,000 and issued 29 orders to pay.
Norcon Security & Investigation Services Ltd. and two directors, Anne Marie MacDonald and James McLean, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the Orders to Pay. The two directors have made full restitution of amounts owing to 29 claimants; the company still owed about $6,000 at the time of sentencing.
The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace John A. Balkwill. In addition to the fines, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge, as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
My opinion
In this world of today, to find companies STILL willing not to pay their workers is outrageous indeed. Sounds like slavery to me.
I am truly glad it all came out in the wash. Still, there are some that would try to get away without paying if he/she knew they could. I wonder if that was the mindset for the two directors.
Hmm…
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