Canada

Raising awareness about what constitutes human trafficking and signs that could save someone from being exploited is important work in Thunder Bay, Ont. — which federal data suggests is an especially problematic hub for trafficking in Canada.

“It’s happening here in Thunder Bay. A lot of people don't think it is, but it is,” Cindy Paypompee, co-chair of the Thunder Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, said Friday.

Paypompee was interviewed by CBC News ahead of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Sunday. The coalition — formed in 2018, and consisting of law enforcement, health, education and social service providers — held an awareness event at the Intercity Shopping Centre on Friday.

According to Statistics Canada, over 5,000 human trafficking incidents overall were reported to police between 2014 and 2024. Thunder Bay, with a population of about 118,000, saw the highest average annual rates in the country during that decade.

Thunder Bay’s average annual rate was 8.0 per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 1.5 per 100,000 population, according to the data agency's latest report, released in December.