Waterloo Region nearly triples national average of human trafficking cases: WRPS

Waterloo Regional Police are bringing attention to a troubling trend surrounding human trafficking. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte reports.

New data released by the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) shows a troubling human trafficking trend in Waterloo Region compared to the rest of the country.

During WRPS’ latest board meeting, data presented showed that local human trafficking cases have been on the rise since 2020.

Police say it has gotten to a point where Waterloo Region cases now nearly triple the national average.

“Over the past three years, we see an increasing gap between the charges laid and the calls for service indicating issues related to human trafficking,” said Amanda Williams, WRPS’ manager of strategic services.

Case numbers for 2025 have not been registered yet, but 2024 numbers show:

• In Ontario, there are 1.99 reported cases of human trafficking per 100,000 people.
• Nationally, that number drops to 1.22 reports per 100,000 people.
• However, in Waterloo Region, that number climbs to 3.4 reports of human trafficking per 100,000 people.

Waterloo Region’s reported cases are 70 per cent higher than the provincial average. Compared to the national average, Waterloo Region sits a 178 per cent higher.

“The most common age of girls being trafficked in Canada is 13 years, and the annual profit is over $280,000 per female trafficked in Canada,” Williams said.

During the board meeting, police confirmed that human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes nationally and globally, generating billions of dollars annually, second to illegal arms trafficking and the drug trade.

Waterloo Regional Police Chief Mark Crowell attributed the rise in local cases to the region’s geographic location.

“We know through our highway corridor as a large municipality within Canada, this is a focal point of opportunity for human trafficking to take hold and to occur,” Crowell said.

Meanwhile, local organizations that support victims say they have seen firsthand the recent jump in reported cases.

“It is deeply concerning but then on the other hand, I’m also not completely shocked by the numbers,” said Monique Ekres, the executive director of Victim Services of Waterloo Region. “In the last year, we have supported over 140 survivors of human trafficking, some as young as 12 [years-old].”

Officials say part of what may be leading to higher reported cases is increased awareness.

Campaigns like WRPS’ ‘Not in My City’ initiative provides specialized training for officers and the public to educate everyone on how to put and end to human trafficking.

Waterloo Regional Crime Stoppers is also working on a new campaign to raise public awareness.

“We shouldn’t even have to be seeing those sorts of numbers,” said Waterloo Regional Crime Stoppers’ Board Chair Maggie Santos. “We’re seeing higher increases because more people are becoming aware of it and are reaching out to us.”