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Nova Scotia and Ontario had the highest rates of human trafficking per capita recorded by police last year, according to the study. new Statistics Canada report.
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 at 6.1.
All of this was significantly higher than the overall metropolitan area census rate of 1.6 incidents per 100,000 people in 2024.
Among provinces, Nova Scotia had the highest incident rate in 2024, at 4.5 per 100,000 people, higher than 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-Preddy, an analyst with the Canadian Center for Justice and Public Safety Statistics and the report's author, said the data was collected from police.force, which does not reflect the true number of human trafficking cases in Canada.
“Human trafficking is often hidden and victims may be reluctant to come forward,” Sutton-Preddy said.
Even in cases reported to police, there may be some undercounting due to differences in how police departments report that data, she said.
Sutton-Preddy noted that the exact number of victims and accused traffickers is difficult to determine because there are cases where people do both.
The report said accused traffickers “may have once been victims themselves, may have remained under the control of the traffickers, and may have had a limited role in the enterprise,” such as recruiting new victims.
Sutton-Preddy said the 2024 figures were still subject to change as many police investigations into the matter were still ongoing.
Data from Statistics Canada shows Nova Scotia has the second-highest rate of human trafficking in Canada, with 6.4 incidents for every 100,000 Nova Scotians. RCMP Sgt. Geoff McFarlane explains how this happens and what the public should take away from the latest figures.
The report, which cites research from the Canadian Center Against Trafficking in Persons, Attributes Ontario's strong performance to its large population and the presence of several major transit points, including numerous border crossings, Highway 401 and airports.
As for Nova Scotia, the report says the province's high rate can be explained by its coastal location and the fact that it “serves as a key node in a human trafficking corridor that facilitates the movement of victims.”
Sergeant Jeffrey McFarlane, provincial manager of the Nova Scotia RCMP's human trafficking unit, says the province's high numbers may also be due to better awareness and more opportunities to report these cases.
“We believe that in Nova Scotia we have a connection with the public and people who are victims of these crimes, they can call us perhaps more often than in other regions,” McFarlane said.
The report also notes that human trafficking cases in Nova Scotia have dropped by 44 per cent since their peak in 2020, according to police.
Women and girls are more likely to be victims, accounting for more than 90 percent of victims over the past decade.
Danielle Hodges, chief operating officer of the YWCA of Halifax, said her organization works directly with victims of human trafficking.
In many cases, people don't realize they're being targeted, which means they may not immediately seek out resources, she said.
According to her, it can start quietly, with the promise of quick money or a new relationship, and once it intensifies, it will be difficult to refuse it.
“It may take several times to find support that [victims] need. The right type of support to fit their unique needs,” she said, noting that housing, employment, education and counseling are important in these cases.
Hodges, the social worker, says it can also be difficult for victims to repeat their story across different resources to get help, which can cause re-traumatization.
She also said that if the victim is not in a stable financial situation, it may be more difficult for them to leave.
“I want people to know that this can happen to anyone,” she said. “It is people’s vulnerability that is often taken advantage of.”
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