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A Saskatchewan court on Thursday heard detailed testimony about the hiring, housing and immigration arrangements of the woman at the centre of an ongoing human trafficking trial. One of the two defendants, Haider, who owned the restaurant Empire Diner in Gull Lake and Bob's Diner in Elrose, took the stand
The complainant first applied online for a cook position in the Gull Lake restaurant in September 2022. The court was told she participated in two phone interviews with the restaurant’s operator, who later consulted with his business partners about her as a possible candidate.
Haider testified that the woman said she was unhappy with her job and housing situation in Toronto, and expressed interest in relocating to Saskatchewan. He said he explained she would need to wait for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before she could be hired, but that she was willing to do so.
The court heard the woman arrived in Saskatchewan later that month and was shown the restaurant and a rental house where she would stay. Haider testified that on Oct. 1, the complainant admitted she had lied about having cooking experience, saying she hoped he and his partners would help her remain in Canada. He said he initially told her to return to Toronto but relented after she pleaded to stay.
During this time, the woman was given a key to the restaurant and access to a computer in its office. Haider testified this was intended to allow her to eat or spend time there, but insisted she was not employed or permitted to work before an LMIA was approved.
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Crown prosecutors questioned why she was given keys if she was not working, noting that newcomers are rarely trusted with opening or closing a business. The operator maintained she was only allowed inside during business hours to prepare food for herself, since the rental house lacked utensils.
The court reviewed Service Canada documents showing that an LMIA application for a cook position in Gull Lake was submitted in September 2022 and approved around December. The complainant’s name was added to the file in January. The Crown suggested she was shifted from a cook application to a kitchen helper position in Elrose, though Haider denied this was the original plan.
Testimony also touched on surveillance footage. Haider said the video once showed the complainant embracing and attempting to kiss a local man inside the restaurant while he was abroad. He told the court he confronted her about the incident after returning to Saskatchewan, saying he needed to “make clear what was going on” because of his standing in the community.
Haider also confirmed receiving an email in which the complainant expressed personal feelings toward him, but said they had minimal direct interaction. “She never talked to me about her attraction in person … in total, I only met her three times,” he testified.
He further told the court that between 2017 and 2023 he applied for four LMIAs, three of which resulted in temporary foreign worker hires, and that federal authorities had investigated his applications without finding violations.
The trial is scheduled to continue Friday with further testimony.