Many immigrants from India in general and Punjab in particular take up truck driving as it provides an easy way to become a permanent resident through the Labour Market Impact Assessment. But this also makes them more vulnerable to wage theft as they depend on their employers for permanent residency.

A group of 42 truck drivers, largely from Punjab, held a rally in Toronto claiming that various truck carriers owe them $300,000 as unpaid wages. According to FreightWaves, Canadian truckers are struggling to get unpaid wages amounting to approximately $9 million during 2021-2022 from carriers that operate a scheme known as Driver Inc.

Many immigrants from India in general and Punjab in particular take up truck driving as it provides an easy way to become a permanent resident through the Labour Market Impact Assessment. But this also makes them more vulnerable to wage theft as they depend on their employers for permanent residency.

Driver Manjinder Singh, speaking at the rally, revealed his first paycheck arrived three months late. Singh, who left truck driving in 2021, says his employer still owes him $10,000 in wages.

Navi Aujla from Labour Community Services of Peel who has been helping countless immigrant drivers in recovering unpaid earnings, says these drivers suffer the most from this rising wage theft, Aujla says most cases involving wage theft or other issues stem from misclassification of the truckers.

FreightWaves reports that misclassification occurs when drivers are wrongly categorised as independent contractors under the term Driver Inc by their employers. This model prompts drivers without truck ownership to register as corporations and provide driving services to companies. By doing so, carriers evade taxes and benefits while also sidestepping labor laws that allow them to withhold wages and payments from drivers.

Highlighting the extent of the issue, Aujla pointed out that while truck drivers comprise only 17% of federally regulated workers, they account for a staggering 85% of claims for unpaid wages lodged with the Ministry of Labour.

Aujla further explains that Canada’s immigration policy system contributes to the prevalence of wage theft. Trucking is one of the industries offering a pathway to permanent resident status through the Labour Market Impact
Assessment process. Loopholes and employer exploitation opportunities within this system intensify the risk of wage theft, especially when employees rely on employers to access permanent resident status.

Major trucking industry groups, including the Canadian Trucking Alliance, Teamsters Canada, and Quebec Trucking Association, jointly called for government action against the Driver Inc. model in May this year.

College withdraws admission toa international students

World Sikh Organization of Canada has expressed deep concern over the withdrawal of admission to hundreds of international students at Northern College in Ontario. The students were informed that their admission had been cancelled due to over-enrollment. Many of these students are from Punjab.

In a letter written to Northern College President Dr. Audrey Penne, WSO’s president , Tejinder Singh Sidhu wrote, “For students living in India, a withdrawal of admission means students can no longer legally enter Canada, as their student visas have been issued on the basis of their admission to your college. Students in India end up also losing thousands of dollars in airfare. Many families have had to sell property or take out large loans to pay for all the costs associated with attending school abroad. The withdrawal of admission results in the risk of losing the validity of required certifications, such as medical examinations and IELTS, as these documents also carry an expiry date.”

“We understand that students who are currently in Canada have been told that their courses will be delivered online. This is of course less than optimal, given that students pay for the experience of in-person learning
and online alternatives are not equivalent. The impact of Northern College issuing and then withdrawing admission is nothing short of catastrophic for the impacted students.”

Young Punjabi immigrant dies in car crash

Tragedy struck in East Vancouver last Monday as Dilpreet Singh Grewal, a 26-year-old who had migrated from India in 2015, lost his life in a multi-vehicle crash at Main and East 12th Avenue. Grewal, who graduated from Alexander College, first worked in construction before becoming an Uber driver during the pandemic. Friends say he was supporting his retired parents and younger siblings back home in Punjab.

Grewal’s untimely demise has left his family devastated, prompting his sister to launch a GoFundMe campaign for funeral expenses, which has already raised over $76,000. His family is now awaiting visas to bring his remains back to India.