Sex-for-rent uncovered; tariffs tweaking travel plans: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet
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'Free room for rent,' but there's a catch: Undercover investigation exposes shelter-for-sex ads
WARNING: This story contains sexually explicit language and details of sexual coercion. It may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know some affected by it.
The rental ad on Craigslist offers up one bedroom with "a warm bed available." But instead of a price tag, it comes with a description of who qualifies to sleep there — a "young, petite female" looking to escape the cold.
When a Marketplace journalist, posing as a student in need of housing, responded to the listing and met the man behind it, he revealed the true cost.
"We fool around a little bit here and there," he said. "If you're not into actually having sex, that's cool. We can do other things," he added, before naming the specific sexual acts he expected in exchange for staying in his home rent-free.
A Marketplace investigation found that ads offering shelter in exchange for sex are not only common on popular rental sites, but they also often target young women and international students specifically. While some ads are explicit about their demands, others are more subtle, putting unsuspecting responders at risk, advocates for women warn.
Soliciting sex for housing is illegal in Canada, but it is also a growing trend according to Brampton Regional Coun. Rowena Santos, particularly as the housing crisis makes it increasingly difficult to find an affordable place to live.
Santos began drawing attention to the issue last year after a listing that offered free rent in exchange for "a friends-with-benefits" relationship went viral.
Marketplace set out to test whether similar offers were real and what happens when someone responds, looking into 20 such ads found on online platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Half of the ads the team were overtly solicitous, using phrases like "friends with benefits" and "live-in girlfriend," signalling expectations of sex in exchange for housing. The other half were more covert, hinting at alternative living situations without explicitly mentioning sexual arrangements.
Every inquiry made to the 10 overt ads received a response, with eight responders confirming that they expected sex as payment.
In one case, the person renting their home asked for "a nude picture and age" just for the application.
Another responded saying: "I'm not looking for a girlfriend. Just some fun from time to time when the need arises."
None of the individuals behind the ads identified themselves, and most refused to provide a phone number, preferring to communicate anonymously through the rental platform. Read more
- You can watch the full investigation, "The Secret Cost of Housing," on CBC Gem.
The staycation goes Canada-wide: Scrapped U.S. trips could be a domestic boon
A Kentucky bus tour. A five-day cruise to Alaska. A multi-state road trip, already postponed once by COVID-19.
These are just a handful of the trips to the U.S. that Canadian residents have cancelled in recent weeks — costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars — to spend their time and money exploring Canada instead.
"With everything going on in the United States at the moment, it doesn't sit well with me to be putting our hard-earned money into their economy," Michelle Gardner, a B.C. resident who recently cancelled a U.S. spring break trip, told CBC News.
"In the next four years, we will be looking at spending our money here and exploring all that Canada has to offer."
The "Buy Canadian" movement is growing in popularity, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump placing massive U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and repeatedly threatening to annex Canada. Provinces and territories are seeing increased interest from Canadian tourists — and they're looking to capitalize on that momentum.
That includes Nova Scotia, whose tourism board is readying a new domestic ad campaign to "entice and inspire" travel to the province, "leveraging existing sentiment around Canadian vacations," a spokesperson said. Operators are already reporting increased summer bookings, they said.
At least seven provinces and territories shared with CBC News that they've seen increased interest from Canadian tourists in recent months. Read more
Targeting sellers on Facebook Marketplace is the 'hot fraud,' police warn
When Hella Bertrand listed a coat for sale for $100 on Facebook Marketplace in October, she accepted the first offer she received.
The interested buyer, "Addison," said he was out of town and could pick the coat up at a later date. He offered to send an e-transfer, and when Bertrand accepted, she received an Interac link.
"Initially [the transfer] didn't go through, even though I gave him my email address," said Bertrand. "He said, 'Well, I'm having too much trouble. It must be the wrong account.' That should have been a red flag."
Frustrated, she gave up on the sale. The next morning, Bertrand woke up to emails from her bank notifying her that $700 had been withdrawn from her account. There had been an attempt to withdraw a further $2,200, but there were insufficient funds left.
When Bertrand checked her Facebook Messenger conversation with Addison, she saw that his responses had been deleted and only her messages remained.
"I was absolutely shocked," she said.
When she checked her bank account online, she noticed a hacker had changed the email address associated with her husband's name to their own.
"That's the most frightening part — that [the hacker] was able to get in there," Bertrand said.
She immediately deleted the email address, changed account passwords and called her bank. Read more
What else is going on?
Via Rail hits new high for late arrivals between Quebec City and Windsor
Passenger trains are forced to slow at rail crossings in dispute with CN Rail.
Why plain old natural gas is the hottest thing at the 'Super Bowl' of energy
Commodity seen as solution to massive power demands of AI, say executives at CERAWeek conference in Houston.
Advocacy groups won't appeal Ontario court's dismissal of Charter challenge to long-term care law
Under Bill 7, people can be put in homes they don't choose, pay $400 a day to stay in hospital.
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