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Rural Ontario residents are raising concerns about the misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program. A case in Picton, involving potential immigration fraud, a sham marriage, child exploitation, and possible human trafficking, has garnered significant public attention. However, local media has focused on discrediting the reporter rather than investigating the story.

A Rebel News report has uncovered alleged immigration fraud at a Picton Tim Hortons, where job offers and permanent residency were reportedly exchanged for illicit payments and sham marriages. The investigation revealed a manager allegedly offered a 17-year-old girl $15,000-$20,000 to marry her brother from India, a description the manager herself used.

Despite the serious nature of these claims, The Picton Gazette chose to lump this reporting with a 1925 Ku Klux Klan cross burning — a comparison that’s not only defamatory, but completely absurd.

The controversy began when the owner called the police to trespass me while I filmed the establishment. However, I was never asked to leave, a legal requirement under Ontario’s Trespass to Property Act, and I filmed openly as journalists do.

Shout out to this BASED OPP Constable

Tim Hortons in Picton, Ont. tried to trespass me while investigating the staggering allegations of immigration fraud at the location where a MINOR was offered $20K for an arranged marriage with her managers brother

He was having NONE of it pic.twitter.com/532JK1NiVj

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) September 30, 2025

The Gazette criticized Rebel News's Tim Hortons coverage, leading retired reporter Hedy Korbee to contact police. Korbee stated, "The law allows for very limited exceptions for journalists covering stories with an overriding public interest, such as threats to public safety, but the Tim Hortons case doesn’t meet the criteria for that,” despite the story's clear public concern.

The Gazette's reports repeatedly prioritize optics over the substance of allegations, despite well-documented facts concerning the abuse of Canada's immigration system.

A 2021 parliamentary report exposed that up to 75% of surveyed individuals noted some sectors, like food service, favor hiring temporary foreign workers based on nationality. The report also detailed illegal actions such as wage theft, unpaid overtime, and demands for $5 per hour kickbacks for employment or immigration sponsorship.

Tim Hortons faces allegations amid a surge in Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in the Picton area, mirroring a national trend of increased reliance on temporary foreign workers (TFWs). LMIA approvals in Picton tripled from 2022 to early 2025.

To employ a temporary foreign worker, employers need to complete a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that assures the government that the position could not be filled domestically.

Looks like the government's rubber stamp has been put away. 👇 pic.twitter.com/8EZCFELlA3

— Mikal Skuterud (@mikalskuterud) October 1, 2025

Instead of examining these verifiable facts, The Picton Gazette dismisses public concerns as racist and falsely attributed racial motives to my report. Race or ethnicity was never mentioned in the coverage, except for the manager's text asking, “you want Indian bf?” [boyfriend]

The teen's co-worker said, "Don't be uncomfortable she's asked everyone lol she doesn't want her brother to have to go back to India.”

The Gazette initially claimed the story's traction stemmed from the East Indian ownership of the Picton Tim Hortons, a statement they later updated.

The report drew attention to serious allegations of a coerced, arranged marriage, financial exploitation of a minor, and an immigration scam. It exposed how individuals exploit a lax system, abusing immigration pathways at the expense of vulnerable foreign nationals and Canadian sovereignty.

Government inspections of TFW employers have plummeted, while fraud, including fake marriage certificates, has increased, as reported by The Toronto Star. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now warns of five-year bans for such offenses, mirroring issues in the Picton case.

'It's deleterious to Canadian citizens': Ezra Levant debates Christina Santini on temporary foreign workers

'The number of temporary foreign workers has skyrocketed, and I believe it's deleterious to Canadian citizens, especially young Canadian citizens, wanting to get in on the… pic.twitter.com/PPFnKhz75j

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 9, 2025

Public sentiment supports that this is all worth a closer look. A Nanos Research poll found that 71% of Canadians want immigration levels reduced, while concerns over jobs, housing, and strained services proliferate.

Corporate lobbyists advocate for mass immigration to maintain a system dependent on cheap labour, displacing working-class Canadians and suppressing wages while exploiting vulnerable workers.

Tim Hortons admits to profiting from Canada's population growth, but criticizing the decline of this once-iconic brand, especially amid documented health and safety violations, is not racist. 

The Gazette, clinging to its Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization designation, prioritizes tax breaks and subsidies over true journalistic integrity, which demands rigorous investigation, truth-telling, and accountability, not ignoring systemic abuses or dismissing public concerns as racist.

🚨 TFW SCAM EXPOSED

Here’s what’s really happening:

1) Employers charge FOREIGNERS $30–40K upfront just for the job

2) Workers end up paid as little as $5/hr, often 12–14 hrs/day with no benefits

3) Employers claim the fake $36/hr rate as a tax write-off

The UN was right,… pic.twitter.com/eUmarA7pHH

— Mario Zelaya (@mario4thenorth) September 8, 2025

While the Gazette editorialized about “hate,” it ignored the systemic failures confirmed by the Auditor General, Immigration Canada, and even Liberal government documents. They overlooked the government’s own warnings about fraudulent immigration consultants, fake colleges, and illegal LMIA sales — sometimes listed on public sites like Kijiji for tens of thousands of dollars.

Instead of defending the status quo, the media should ask why over three million temporary residents are currently in Canada — many on soon-to-be-expired visas — and whether current policies serve the interests of citizens, or corporate lobbyists.

Real journalism would investigate these questions. The Gazette chose tabloid-adjacent deflection instead.

As concerns over fraud, exploitation, and policy abuse continue to grow, Canadians should be able to rely on media coverage backed by facts — not condescension masquerading as editorial integrity.

Editor’s Note: A follow-up report featuring responses from Picton Gazette publisher Christopher Fanning to questions from Rebel News will be published soon.