U.S. authorities have accused another sanitation company of illegally hiring at least two dozen children to clean dangerous meat processing facilities, the latest example of illegal child labour that officials say is increasingly common.
The Labor Department asked a federal judge for an injunction to halt the employment of minors by Tennessee-based Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, saying it believes at least four children were still working at one Iowa slaughterhouse as of Dec. 12.
U.S. law prohibits companies from employing people younger than 18 to work in meat processing plants because of the hazards involved. The Labor Department alleges that Fayette has used underage workers in hazardous conditions where animals are killed and rendered. The agency says children sanitize dangerous equipment, including head splitters, jaw pullers and meat bandsaws.
The department's legal filing details the severe injuries one 14-year-old sustained while cleaning the drumstick packing line belt at a plant in Virginia. Records show Fayette learned the worker was underage after the child was injured and continued to employ the minor anyway, according to an investigator.
A spokesperson for Fayette told the Associated Press in an email that the company is fully cooperating with the investigation, and has made changes to policies to improve its hiring. That includes hiring a new CEO and using third-party legal representation for vetting, according to the company.
"Fayette has always had a zero-tolerance policy for minor labour in the workforce, and we have continued to work diligently to ensure that something like this cannot occur," the statement said.
The latest findings add to a growing list of violations, including the fatal mangling of a 16-year-old working at a Mississippi poultry plant, the death of a 16-year-old after an accident at a sawmill in Wisconsin, and last year's report of more than 100 children illegally employed by Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, across 13 meatpacking plants. PSSI paid over US$1.5 million in civil penalties.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to the 18 largest meat and poultry producers last year to highlight the issue as part of the administration's effort to crack down on child labour violations more broadly. The Labor Department's latest statistics indicate the number of children being employed illegally in the U.S. has increased 88 per cent since 2019.
The cleaning company works in about 30 states and employs more than 600 workers, according to the department, and the investigation is ongoing. The initial findings identified 15 underage Fayette employees at a Perdue Farms plant in Accomac, Virginia, and at least nine at Seaboard Triumph Foods in Sioux City, Iowa.
Seaboard Triumph Foods said in a statement it is terminating its contract with Fayette because of the allegations. A spokesperson for Perdue Farms said in an email that the company terminated its contract with Fayette before the filing but declined to specify further.
Israeli strikes killed at least 51 people in southern Gaza overnight, including women and children, as the military launched ground operations in the hard-hit city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medical officials said Wednesday.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio are facing off Tuesday night in New York City for their first – and only – U.S. vice-presidential debate. Here is a live fact check of everything being said between the two.
When New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz went to a barn sale in the Hamptons a few months ago, a painting hanging in the old structure immediately caught his eye.
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller was suspended four games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
The president of e-commerce giant Shopify Inc. wants Canada to address a problem he calls "the 600-pound beaver in the room."
A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.
Ontario is staring down a teacher shortage as retirements and student enrolment are both on the rise, and the Ministry of Education expects the situation will start to get even worse in 2027.
In a five-part series this week on CTVNews.ca and CTV National News at 11, W5's Avery Haines follows the harrowing journeys of migrants who risk their lives crossing the Darien Gap and ride atop Mexico's notorious 'Train of Death'. In this third installment, Haines travels across the Mexico-U.S. border.
The lawyer for "Freedom Convoy" organizer Chris Barber told a judge Monday that a court order banning honking in downtown Ottawa during the protest wasn't clear enough.
A small bush on a ledge appears to have "miraculously" saved the life of a climber who fell down the steep slope of a mountain, according to B.C. search and rescue crews.
The leader of the B.C. Conservative party is once again under fire for comments related to climate change – this time for suggesting there is an "anti-human agenda" behind the push to confront warming global temperatures.
Ontario is staring down a teacher shortage as retirements and student enrolment are both on the rise, and the Ministry of Education expects the situation will start to get even worse in 2027.
Kingston, Ont. police say several people have been arrested and charged following a break-in at a home in the city's east end last week.
An Indigenous family has filed a human rights complaint against retail giant Canadian Tire over a pair of incidents that happened on the same day at the company’s Coquitlam, B.C., location.
A regional airport in southwest Japan was closed on Wednesday after a U.S. bombshell, likely dropped during the Second World War to stem "kamikaze" attacks, exploded near its runway, causing nearly 90 flight cancellations.
Iran launched at least 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, causing scattered damage and fires from falling shrapnel, but Israeli authorities said there were no injuries. Here's what we know:
Police in the Danish capital said two predawn explosions took place Wednesday in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen, prompting the nearby Jewish school to close for the day.
Tim Walz and JD Vance on Tuesday went after each other's running mates in a vice-presidential debate that opened with a discussion of burgeoning domestic and international troubles.
Thai police arrested the driver of a bus carrying young students and teachers that caught fire and killed 23 in suburban Bangkok, as families arrived in the capital Wednesday to help identify their loved ones.
An attorney said Tuesday he is representing 120 accusers who have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Sean “Diddy†Combs, the hip-hop mogul who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
For the third time in seven days the House of Commons will vote on a confidence measure today, but this one comes from the government itself.
A federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference expects to hear today from more than a dozen diaspora community members.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government survived another Conservative-led non-confidence vote on Tuesday, the second in less than a week. This, the same day the Bloc Quebecois had an opportunity to table a non-confidence motion of its own, opting instead to push the Liberals to support one of its key demands.
A woman with the rare condition of two uteruses delivered twins, one from each womb, last month at a hospital in northwestern China, according to health officials and state media.
Black-coloured plastic used in children’s toys, takeout containers, kitchen utensils and grocery meat and produce trays may contain alarming levels of toxic flame retardants that may be leaching from electronic products during recycling, a new study found.
This fall and winter, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut will offer the newer monoclonal antibody nirsevimab — approved by Health Canada in the spring of 2023 — to all babies going through their first RSV season.
The bracket for 2024's Fat Bear Week contest was revealed Tuesday night, but only after a deadly bear-on-bear attack at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve on Monday delayed the unveiling.
Archeologists in Denmark have unearthed more than 50 'exceptionally well preserved' skeletons in a large Viking-era burial ground in the east of the country.
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970s sitcom 'Good Times' and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 84.
Daniel Day-Lewis is coming out of retirement, seven years after his last movie, for a film directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis.
Ken Page, a stage and screen actor who introduced Broadway audiences to Old Deuteronomy in "Cats" and scared generations of kids as the voice of Oogie Boogie, the villain of the 1993 animated holiday film "The Nightmare Before Christmas," has died. He was 70.
Owners of small and medium-sized businesses will finally receive their long-awaited carbon pricing refunds before the end of this year, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced on Tuesday.
The president of e-commerce giant Shopify Inc. wants Canada to address a problem he calls "the 600-pound beaver in the room."
Restaurant company SIR Corp. is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has impacted part of its information technology infrastructure.
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Baby hippo, Moo Deng, has become a viral sensation, with her adorable photos and videos flooding social media and even earning a skit on Saturday Night Live.
A code of conduct will be enforced on the online dating industry to better protect Australian users after research found that three-in-four people suffer some form of sexual violence through the platforms, Australia’s government said on Tuesday.
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller was suspended four games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
It was an exciting weekend for hockey fans in Sudbury, as the city hosted an NHL preseason game.
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A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
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A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
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Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
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An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The Vancouver Police Department is expecting to be over budget by the end of the year, according to a report.
An Indigenous family has filed a human rights complaint against retail giant Canadian Tire over a pair of incidents that happened on the same day at the company’s Coquitlam, B.C., location.
The goat found wandering around East Vancouver Friday night is headed home, police say.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
Ontario is staring down a teacher shortage as retirements and student enrolment are both on the rise, and the Ministry of Education expects the situation will start to get even worse in 2027.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is set to continue his testimony today after taking the stand in his sexual assault trial.
Calgary police say they're investigating the attack of a prominent local radio host over the weekend.
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) says safeguards have been put in place at a gas well fire north of Cochrane.
A man has been charged with sexual assault following an incident involving a seven-year-old girl in Calgary's Fish Creek Park in August.
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Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz went head to head Tuesday night for the first and only planned vice-presidential debate of this U.S. election cycle.
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Alberta's premier shared new details Tuesday about her government's proposed gender legislation.
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A Progressive Conservative candidate in New Brunswick’s upcoming election is under fire Tuesday morning for a Facebook post she made on Truth and Reconciliation Day.
The Winnipeg Police Service is looking for a new helicopter to replace the current aircraft, which has been in service for 15 years.
A 44-year-old woman has died after a two-vehicle crash on a Manitoba highway Tuesday morning.
Manitoba Hydro reported a $157 million consolidated net loss according to the company's 2023-24 fiscal update.
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A Guelph man charged with the hit-and-run death of a well-known community advocate and has now been charged in a separate collision.
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An Ahtahkakoop man who came to prominence in Saskatchewan’s Indigenous business community and helped thousands of First Nations people complete their education died on Friday.
Saskatchewan residents will vote for their next provincial government on Oct. 28.
Exclusive polling data collected by Â鶹´«Ã½ in partnership with Insightrix outlines what preferences voters have, if they’re familiar with the party leaders and what issues matter most as Saskatchewan enters into the 2024 provincial election campaign.
As the investigation continues into the fatal northern Ontario house fire that killed four people on the evening of Sept. 19, police have released some details about the victims.
Two 17-year-olds have been charged in Elliot Lake with breaking into Centennial Arena and causing $50,000 in damage.
A West Nipissing family whose son died minutes after he was born is raising money to buy comfort care equipment for families grieving the loss of a newborn child.
There is no word on how the crash happened, if there were any injuries or possible charges.
Huron County OPP is advising of a phone scam that cost a Goderich couple $33,000.
A note for commuters Wednesday, Highbury road will be closed for much of the day.
Tributes have started pouring in for a Midland, Ont. man who died after reportedly being struck by an unmarked provincial police vehicle over the weekend.
One man is charged after a break-and-enter at a Midland restaurant.
Provincial police handed a 22-year-old driver accused of being impaired a lengthy licence suspension after conducting a traffic stop along Highway 400 over the weekend.
A 21-year-old Windsor man is on trial in Superior Court for trying to join a terrorist organization.
Windsor’s rotating ward meetings continued Tuesday night in the downtown core, with Coun. Renaldo Agostino hosting Ward 3 residents at All Saints Anglican Church.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio are facing off Tuesday night in New York City for their first – and only – U.S. vice-presidential debate. Here is a live fact check of everything being said between the two.
A young man has been charged with first-degree murder after police were called to investigate a suspicious death on Vancouver Island over the weekend.
A British Columbia lawyer has resigned from the provincial law society after he sexually harassed staff at his law firm, including attempts to surreptitiously photograph one employee without her knowledge, according to the regulator.
David Eby promised to expand financial supports and job protections for sick British Columbians if he wins this month's provincial election, throwing barbs at his main opponent in the process.
A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.
The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
From offering two meals a week to three a day, the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen has grown immensely over the past 40 years.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is set to continue his testimony today after taking the stand in his sexual assault trial.
A 40-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie who was on probation has been charged with assault with a weapon following an incident in August.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard took the stand in his sexual assault trial on Tuesday, denying that he raped his accuser and painting a dramatically different picture of their encounter eight years ago.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
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