‘Record high’: Calls to human trafficking hotline in Canada surge
Global News
Calls to the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline hit more than 5,900 calls nationwide in 2025, a 14 per cent increase from 5,100 calls in 2024, the organization said.
The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking says the hotline it operates saw a record high for calls last year.
Calls to the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline hit more than 5,900 calls nationwide in 2025, a 14 per cent increase from 5,100 calls in 2024, the organization said.
The organization said it has seen a year-over-year rise in calls since its launch in 2019.
The majority of calls to the hotline are regarding sex trafficking accounts but the hotline is also seeing a steady increase in labour trafficking cases.
The centre also said that since launching, trafficking incidents were most frequently documented in the largest provinces, such as Ontario, which ranked the highest for 66 per cent of reported trafficking incidents. Alberta saw 11 per cent, British Columbia nine per cent, and Quebec seven per cent.
Meanwhile, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Atlantic provinces and the territories saw the lowest rates.
According to the organization, traffickers often enter people’s lives “appearing warm, caring, and supportive.” And said once trust is established, it can be “weaponized to exert control and enable exploitation.”
Julia Drydyk, executive director of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, said popular portrayals of human trafficking often emphasize kidnappings and physical restraint but that it is a depiction that distorts how trafficking typically occurs.
The news comes a year and half after former health minister Adrian Dix announced the much-needed replacement, saying then it was long overdue.
Democrats are demanding Ambassador Bridge owner Matthew Moroun provide documentation of a reported meeting held with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick before Trump's threat.
From trade tensions to a shrinking workforce and existing inflation, several factors are leading to provinces posting sometimes record-breaking budgets.
The newly launched consumer rebates for electric vehicles aim to help make the purchase more affordable — but how does the cost of powering one compare with a gas vehicle?
The Kamloops institution operated between 1890 and 1969, when Ottawa took control from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.
The first category that’s being added is for researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience to help drive research in Canada.
A Quebec man who drowned his two children in October 2022, told a jury he has no memory of the day they died, as he testified in his own defence in Laval, Quebec.
The Ford government has broken ground on four stations and an elevated guideway for its signature Ontario Line subway, which could be finished sometime in the early 2030s.
A small black dog that was kicked in a 'disturbing and upsetting' viral video has been removed from the owner’s care, Sudbury police say.
“I am honoured to welcome Matt Jeneroux to our caucus as the newest member of Canada’s new government,” Carney said in a social media post.
It raises the base income tax rate by 0.54 per cent — the first increase in 26 years — while the deficit is predicted to soar to a record $13.3 billion next fiscal year.
While in B.C., the prime minister will attend a Liberal Party fundraiser at a private residence in Vancouver, with tickets costing $1,775.
Brampton, Mississauga and parts of Waterloo Region were among the suburbs where people flocked back to the bus, leading to overcrowding and setting records.