The Provincial Crown decided to proceed by indictment in the immigration charges against former Ukrainian Orthodox Church Reverend John Lipinski, his wife Angela Lipinski, both of St. Paul, and Calvin Steinhauer of Goodfish Lake on Aug. 29.
Election was reserved and the next court date is set for Sept. 26 for the three accused.
The three accused face charges relating to improper documentation and organizing entry to Canada by threat, deception or fraud under the Immigration Refugee Protection Act and section 341 (1) of the Criminal Code of Canada relating to proceeds of crime.
John Lipinski, 43, a director of Kihew Energy Services Ltd., Angela Lipinski, 42, and Steinhauer, 38, also a director of Kihew Energy Services, were served with a summons with the initial court date on July 25 at Edmonton Provincial Court.
In a press release, RCMP allege Kihew Energy Services placed ads in a Polish newspaper and a website to recruit European welders and machinists to work in Canada. The first group of workers arrrived in 2005 with a total 60 foreign nationals from Poland and the Ukraine coming to Alberta under student visas.
It is further alleged Kihew arranged with an individual at Lakeland College, who has since been terminated, to confirm the foreign nationals as students for training in welding and English as a second language. Only some of the foreign workers attended a few English as a second language classes, but none attended for technical welding classes as indicated on their student visas, according to RCMP. The college had no knowledge of the arrangement, according to the RCMP press release.
The workers were instead contracted by Kihew to several northern Albera businesses which were charged a much higher hourly rate for the services of each foreign worker than was paid by Kihew to the workers. It is alleged that Kihew profited over $1 million from April 2006 to September 2006 by sub-contracting these workers to various companies.
RCMP allege Kihew told the foreign nationals they could work legally in Canada and bring their families here after six months. They signed contracts with Kihew, which said if breached would impose a fine of $25,000 and result in deportation, said RCMP.
