The Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) is urging vigilance after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) laid human trafficking charges connected to a trucking operation in the rural municipality of Edenwold.
RCMP said in a news release that it found out an employee was required to pay a large sum of money to secure employment and obtain permanent residency status. Investigators further found that the business owners would withhold wages, force employees to drive with unsafe loads and work long hours without compensation.
As a result of the investigation, 36-year-old Himanshu Kundra of Edenwold and 50-year-old Jagtar Sadiora of Regina, Sask., have each been charged with human trafficking, receiving a material benefit from human trafficking, and withholding or destroying documents. While both made their first court appearance on June 11, the allegations have not yet been proven in court.
Police believe there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information relevant to the investigation to call 310-RCMP.
“Labor trafficking is a serious crime that exploits vulnerable individuals and has no place in Saskatchewan’s trucking industry,” said Susan Ewart, executive director of the STA, in a separate release.
“These allegations reflect broader challenges we have seen across Canada, where bad actors exploit immigration pathways and take advantage of workers through coercion, withheld wages, and unsafe working conditions.”
The association said that while most carriers operate legally and ethically, the case stresses the need for continued vigilance and enforcement in the trucking industry.
STA is calling on the government to enhance the vetting of employers participating in Temporary Foreign Worker and Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program streams, increase trucking compliance audits and enforcement, and provide stronger protections for vulnerable workers.
The association also recently launched the “See Something, Say Something” campaign with Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers, which encourages truck drivers and members of the public to recognize and report signs of human trafficking.
“The trucking industry travels every highway and into every community,” Ewart said. “Our members are uniquely positioned to help identify suspicious activity and be part of the solution…Human trafficking is often hidden in plain sight.”
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