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Ottawa Fines N.B. Seafood Processor $1 Million, Imposes 10-Year TFW Ban

Officials cite workplace abuse alongside mismatched job terms at Bolero Shellfish Processing.

A crate of lobsters is shown in Halifax on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.
Bolero Shellfish Processing Inc. was fined and banned for 10 years from using the temporary foreign worker program. The company is owned by Montreal-based exporter Sogelco International Inc., whose multiple plants in Atlantic Canada produce lobster, sea cucumber and crabs.
Bolero Shellfish Processing Inc. has been fined $1 million and banned from using the temporary foreign workers program for 10 years for a long list of infractions, including the abuse of its employees.
Acadian Peninsula St. Simon-based Bolero Shellfish Processing Inc. has been leveled what amounts to the largest penalty ever issued by the federal government over the mistreatment of temporary foreign workers. Photo by GOOGLE MAPS

Overview

  • Employment and Social Development Canada levied the maximum penalty and a decade-long suspension on Sept. 17, calling it the largest sanction to date under the Temporary Foreign Worker program.
  • Sogelco International, Bolero’s parent company, says it rejects the findings and intends to challenge the decision in court.
  • Federal records state Bolero failed to ensure an abuse-free workplace, provided pay or conditions that did not match offers of employment, and violated hiring and recruiting rules.
  • Migrant-rights groups are pressing Ottawa to channel collected fines to affected workers, with advocates reporting several former Bolero employees have received open work permits through an abuse-related pathway.
  • The decision comes as ESDC reports 1,435 inspections in 2024–25, $4.9 million in fines, and 36 employer bans, while about $7.5 million in older penalties remains uncollected.