Toronto man still allowed to employ staff despite owing more than $1M in wages, fines

Nicole Brockbank · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Ontario's Ministry of Labour published a quality merchandise successful precocious May alerting the nationalist that a Toronto businessman and his backstage schoolhouse were fined $410,000 for failing to comply with orders to wage wages.

At the time, those fines were already 2 weeks past owed with the courts.

Anchuan Jiang and his institution Ontario International College were convicted nether the Employment Standards Act (ESA) successful March for not paying astir $185,000 successful wages owed to 14 employees arsenic ordered. On apical of the fines, determination was besides a 25 per cent unfortunate surcharge. Both were expected to beryllium paid successful Toronto's provincial offences tribunal by May 12. 

But they weren't. 

As of past week, Jiang hadn't paid a cent of the $580,730 successful fines and surcharges, according to Toronto's tribunal services division. 

It's a acquainted story: Jiang has been convicted before. Now, his lawsuit has employment lawyers calling for new enforcement tools to guarantee workers get paid and caller employees aren't victimized.

Previous company, aforesaid problem

Four years ago, Jiang and his erstwhile company, Norstar Times, were fined $100,000 for failing to wage much than $320,000 successful wages arsenic ordered. Those earlier fines, which full $141,610 with the unfortunate surcharge, inactive haven't been paid either.

CBC Toronto archetypal reported connected wage theft claims involving Jiang seven years ago erstwhile erstwhile employees reached retired with stories of waiting years to beryllium paid. Most of them were planetary students who'd precocious graduated oregon different newcomers working their archetypal occupation successful Canada.

Despite the province's enforcement efforts since then, a CBC probe recovered that Jiang inactive owes up to $952,000 successful wages and much than $732,000 successful overdue and unpaid fines.

Jiang did not respond to requests for remark for this story.

New enforcement tools needed

Employment lawyers accidental Jiang's lawsuit highlights the limitations of Ontario's enforcement strategy for wage theft and wherefore caller tools are needed to halt employers from continuing to tally a business — and perchance victimize much workers — if they haven't paid outstanding wages and fines.

"It's precise telling that this leader has erstwhile convictions and was capable to commencement a caller concern and bash the aforesaid happening each implicit again," said Ella Bedard, unit lawyer astatine the Workers' Action Centre, which helps low-income workers lick workplace problems.

"There needs to beryllium consequences for employers who don't pay, that aren't conscionable slapping much fines connected apical of wealth owed."

Ontario's Ministry of Finance handles collections of orders to wage wages connected behalf of the Ministry of Labour if they're not paid wrong 30 days. CBC Toronto asked the Ministry of Finance however overmuch wealth Jiang and his companies inactive beryllium successful unpaid wages. 

In an emailed statement, spokesperson Scott Blodgett said the ministry can't sermon circumstantial cases oregon "say thing that whitethorn breach confidential payer information." 

Public records, however, connection immoderate penetration into the ministry's betterment efforts. 

Writs adhd up to $952,000 successful debt

There are 13 progressive writs of execution against Jiang, and 1 against Ontario International College, registered by the Ministry of Finance connected behalf of the labour ministry betwixt 2018 and 2024. All unneurotic they full much than $952,000 successful debt. 

Writs tin beryllium utilized to enforce debts by having a sheriff prehend and merchantability a debtor's assets to wage disconnected what they owe. While it doesn't look the concern ministry has tried to prehend and merchantability Jiang's fully-detached Toronto home, it has placed a lien of much than $300,000 connected the house, according to Ontario lien records.

Last twelvemonth Bedard says Workers' Action Centre helped retrieve $250,000 successful unpaid wages for workers crossed the Greater Toronto Area, but that's "just a driblet successful the bucket" of the wage theft claims brought to the organization.

"If the lawsuit ends up going to the Ministry of Finance, we cognize that it becomes precise improbable that they're going to get their wealth — and truthful we effort to hole workers for that," she said.

In its statement, the concern ministry said it makes each effort to retrieve amounts owed to workers nether the ESA.

$60M successful unpaid wages successful Ontario

Despite those efforts, interior authorities records obtained by CBC done a state of accusation petition past twelvemonth amusement that of the astir $80 cardinal successful unpaid wages owed to Ontario workers betwixt the 2017-2018 fiscal twelvemonth and July 2024, almost $60 cardinal remained unpaid past summer.

"That is simply a immense number," said Joanna Mullen, an employment lawyer with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services. "It surely demonstrates that the efforts to date, the tools that are astatine the disposal of the government, are insufficient." 

Mullen made submissions connected changes to ESA enforcement astatine the Ontario legislature past fall. She told the lasting committee connected concern and economical affairs that she supported projected amendments to summation fines successful Bill 190, but argued the alteration wouldn't marque a quality for immoderate employers.

"What we request you to beryllium doing is to alteration the instrumentality to let the ministry to spell successful and accidental 'stop, you're done. You can't person employees anymore. You can't run a concern successful the mode that you person been,''' Mullen said she told the committee. 

Strip employer's concern licenses 

Practically, the employment lawyer says that could beryllium done by stripping an employer's concern licence and banning them from applying for a caller one, oregon taking distant different licenses similar a liquor oregon driver's license.

A akin enforcement mechanics already exists for occupational wellness and safety, according to Bedard.

"If you're an leader who repeatedly causes serious, life-threatening injuries connected your enactment sites, you astatine immoderate constituent aren't allowed to run a concern anymore,' she said.

"Why hasn't that happened to this individual? It's not thing that presently the Ministry of Labour has powerfulness to do, but it seems similar a effect that would marque consciousness for specified egregious cases."

Bill 190 passed without immoderate of Mullen's suggested amendments successful precocious October.

CBC Toronto asked the Ministry of Labour whether it plans to instrumentality caller enforcement tools similar a licensing authorities for employers oregon the quality to portion non-compliant employers of different licences they request to run their business.

The labour ministry did not supply a effect earlier deadline for this story.