"Migrant worker group tells of complaints about Okanagan winery in foreign worker ban"

A British Columbia organization that helps migrant workers says it’s been repeatedly contacted by employees of a winery in the Okanagan Valley that has been permanently banned from hiring temporary foreign workers and fined $118,000 for breaking program rules.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a Dec. 16 ruling that Toor Vineyards was banned for not putting in enough effort to protect workers from physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, or from reprisal.

It also said Toor Vineyards failed to provide requested documents, and that pay and working conditions didn’t live up to what was promised to the foreign workers…

…at least one of the workers wanted advice after suffering sexual abuse…

Toor Vineyards shares the same address as the award-winning Desert Hills Estate Winery, whose president Randhir Toor stepped down about a year ago.

In 2023, Desert Hills was fined $16,000 for breaching foreign worker rules, while in 2022, Toor Vineyards was convicted of seven charges of counselling or attempting to counsel misrepresentation in violation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act…

Desert Hills Estate Winery did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, while contact information for Toor Vineyards could not be found…