N.S., Ontario had highest rates of human trafficking in 2024: StatsCan
CBC
Nova Scotia and Ontario had the highest rates of police-reported human trafficking per capita last year, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.
In Ontario, the cities of Guelph and Thunder Bay had the highest rates of human trafficking reported to police in 2024.
Guelph police recorded 11 incidents per 100,000 people, followed by Halifax at 7.5 and then Thunder Bay with 6.1.
These all significantly exceeded the overall rate for census metropolitan areas, which was 1.6 incidents per 100,000 in 2024.
Among the provinces, Nova Scotia recorded the highest rate of incidents in 2024, with 4.5 per 100,000 people, exceeding the national rate of 1.5.
Four other provinces also exceeded the national rate, including Ontario (2.3), Prince Edward Island (2.8), New Brunswick (2.0) and Saskatchewan (1.9).
Danielle Sutton-Preddie, an analyst with the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics who authored the report, said the data was collected from police forces, which doesn't reflect the true number of human trafficking cases in Canada.
“Human trafficking is often hidden and victims may be reluctant to come forward,” said Sutton-Preddie.
She said even in cases that are reported to police, there may be some undercounting due to differences in how police detachments report that data.
Sutton-Preddie said the exact number of victims and accused traffickers is tricky to pinpoint, since there are instances where people function as both.
The report says accused traffickers “may have once been victims themselves, could remain under the control of traffickers, and may have limited roles in the enterprise,” such as in recruiting more victims.
Sutton-Preddie said the 2024 numbers are still subject to changes as many police investigations on this are still ongoing.
The report, which cites a study by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, attributes Ontario's high figures to its large population and the presence of several major transit points, including multiple border crossings, Highway 401 and airports.
As for Nova Scotia, the report says the province's high rate can be attributed to its coastal location and the fact that it "serves as a key node in a human trafficking corridor that facilitates the movement of victims.”
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.
The racial reckoning of the COVID era saw Canada grapple with its checkered past — a process that led to statues of some foundational figures being removed, in some instances by force.
Holiday traditions are front and centre for many people at this time of year. But one Uxbridge family's Christmas tradition goes above and beyond the standard Christmas carols or holiday party.
A pedestrian is dead, and police are investigating following a collision in a north London parking lot on Tuesday afternoon.
Police have lifted a shelter-in-place order for parts of St. John's.
Nova Scotia Power is providing more information about the cyberattack on the utility earlier this year and its response in the months that followed.
A rare old-growth forest in Quebec’s Mauricie region is at the centre of a growing conflict between conservation advocates and the provincial government, after forestry roadwork was authorized in an area currently under review for protected status.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York sought an interview with ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor for connections to Canadian sex offender and fashion mogul Peter Nygard.
A mother is grieving after a carbon monoxide incident killed her 11-year-old son and put her husband in hospital in critical condition.
Just as Alberta begins to dig out from its last winter storm, most of the province is preparing for another blast of snow and brutal cold, just in time for the holidays.