Human trafficking charges are on the rise in Niagara, police say

Niagara Region is seeing a rise in the number of human trafficking charges laid, according to local police data obtained by CBC Hamilton.

Niagara Regional Police Service announced its most recent charge on Thursday.

The service says its human trafficking unit started an investigation in March and identified the accused, a 56-year-old woman known as "Candy."

The woman was arrested Wednesday and is facing charges for:

• Trafficking in persons by recruiting.
• Procuring.
• Material benefit from sexual services.
• Financial/material benefit from trafficking person over 18 years.
• Advertising another person's sexual services.

The accused is in custody pending a bail hearing expected to occur Thursday, police say.

"The investigation remains ongoing as detectives suspect there may be more victims," reads the media release.

The media release doesn't say where the alleged trafficking took place and where officers arrested the accused.

CBC Hamilton contacted Niagara police for more details but didn't receive more information.

The incident is among a growing number of human trafficking charges and comes amid calls for more action to stop traffickers.

Niagara Region has an above average human trafficking rate

The YWCA Niagara Region has previously described Niagara as an "epicentre" for human trafficking for sexual, labour and domestic exploitation.

A Statistics Canada report, published in December 2023, found Ontario accounted for 67 per cent of police-reported human trafficking incidents between 2012 and 2022 — despite representing about 38 percent of the Canadian population in 2023.

The majority of the victims from the 3,996 police-reported incidents throughout the decade were women and girls, the report said, adding that around 91 per cent knew their trafficker, and 34 per cent were trafficked by an intimate partner.

Just one in ten completed human trafficking cases across Canada resulted in a finding of guilt, according to the report.

Niagara saw 136 incidents, which represents about three per cent of all incidents in Canada. The local average annual rate of human trafficking in the region was 2.6 incidents per 100,000 people, which is higher than the national average of one incident per 100,000 people. 

Toronto saw the most trafficking incidents with 911, nearly a quarter of all incidents across the country.

Police say human trafficking is 'significant' local concern

Kayla Mayer, the YWCA's director of programs, previously noted how the 401 corridor, Port Colborne's waterways and sharing a border with the U.S. gives traffickers in Niagara multiple transportation options. 

Niagara's tourist area also has a plethora of hotels and motels where trafficking can stay hidden, Mayer said.

She added there are also farms where vulnerable workers may be experiencing labour trafficking, which often happens in tandem with sex trafficking.

In March, a local anti-human trafficking training and consulting firm, Collaborative Community Solutions, issued a public letter calling on the region to address human trafficking and also mentioned farms as a problem area.

Mayer said the YWCA has heard from survivors of human trafficking who were at rural properties in Niagara.

Niagara police Insp. Steve Magistrale told CBC Hamilton human trafficking has emerged as a "significant community safety concern" locally and provincially.

He also said it has led to lots of chatter on social media.

One example he gave was about a farm on Read Road, where social media users alleged several women were being "held captive" for human trafficking.

When police received a credible tip that allowed them to execute a search warrant, they arrested nine people in late March — but not for human trafficking.

"What we did find was a lot of evidence of drugs," he said.

"Hopefully that settles the rumour mill regarding that location."

88 human trafficking charges laid last year

The police service formed a human trafficking unit in 2019, which now includes a sergeant and three detective constables.

The number of trafficking charges have grown since the unit was formed.

In 2020, there were 33 charges laid, nine people charged and four survivors identified.

In 2023, there were 88 charges laid, 17 people charged and 11 survivors identified.

In February of this year, Niagara police arrested 13 men at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ont., in connection with human trafficking of young people.

Magistrale said the unit's focus is to investigate human trafficking but also establish community connections.

"We recognize the victims or people involved in a lifestyle that may be susceptible to human trafficking sometimes have a hesitation to come forward … we're trying to make these community connections," he said.

"Our investigators are not just sitting here at their desks waiting for the phone to ring … they're really going into the community."

While Magistrale noted some people don't trust the service or have other reasons for not coming forward, he said anyone with information should go to police instead of social media.

"We can't build a criminal investigation on rumours, we need to build our criminal investigations on fact."

If you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, you can call Canada's national human trafficking hotline at 1-833-900-1010.