Two Red Deer people facing human trafficking charges under the immigration and refugee protection act had their lawyer appear for them, adjourning to a future court date.
Ravinder Sidhu, 46, and Varinder Sidhu, 49, are charged with three offences each, including organizing the coming into Canada of one or more persons by means of abduction, fraud, deception or use or threat of force or coercion; employing a foreign national in a capacity in which the foreign national is not authorized to; and counselling, inducing, aiding or abetting or attempting to counsel, aid or abet any person — directly or indirectly — misrepresent or withhold material facts relating to a relevant matter that induces or could induce an error in the administration of the immigration and refugee protection act.
Will Willms, defence counsel for the married couple, appeared in Red Deer provincial court on Tuesday on their behalf. He asked Judge James Glass if he could have a month to review the lengthy disclosure. The adjournment was granted by Glass.
Crown prosecutor Ann MacDonald appeared on behalf of Kent Brown of the federal prosecutions office out of Calgary, which will carry the file.
The Sidhus were charged following a 10-month investigation by Calgary Federal Serious Organized Crime officers.
The investigation began in June 2014 when Alberta Employment standards contacted the RCMP, which led to a joint-investigation into the alleged abuse of eight temporary foreign workers employed at the Econolodge in Gasoline Alley.
They will next appear in Red Deer provincial court on June 30.