Sault partners tackle human trafficking

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Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corp., Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, and HOPE Alliance have partnered with the national organization #NotInMyCity in an effort to combat human trafficking in the region.
#NotInMyCity was founded by country music star Paul Brandt. It is dedicated to raising awareness and taking action to prevent, disrupt, and end sexual exploitation and trafficking, especially of children and youth.
Through the partnership with NIMC, the Sault Airport will implement an e-learning and awareness program that will help to educate airport employees and stakeholders about human trafficking in Canada. The training will help airport employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know what to do if they suspect trafficking. The program will also support the posting of informational signage and materials throughout the airport to educate the public.
The Sault Airport is one of only eight airports across Canada that has partnered with NIMC so far.
“We will actively work with all partners and support the #NotInMyCity initiative, which will generate much needed awareness for the victims of human trafficking,” said SSMPS Chief Hugh Stevenson in a Nov. 9 media release.
“We know victims are transported through the Sault Ste. Marie area. We continue to work to protect vulnerable people from predators who want to profit by victimizing others.”
HOPE Alliance chairperson Taylor Piazza is also quoted in the release.
“The HOPE Alliance is happy to partner with the Sault Ste. Marie Airport and #NotInMyCity to provide valuable education to airport staff as well as make resources available to travellers,” said Piazza.
“We look forward to working together in the future and are grateful to the airport for their understanding of the prevalence of human trafficking and their willingness to combat it.”
Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and happens across the country. Traffickers will frequently move their victims from city to city to help maintain control of their victim, access new markets, and evade detection by the police.
“The average age of being trafficked in Canada is 13 years old, and 93 percent of human trafficking victims in Canada are Canadian,” NIMC founder Brandt told Sault This Week. “Indigenous people make up four percent of Canada’s population, and yet represent over 50 percent of Canada’s trafficking victims. The greatest risk factor for being trafficked is being a girl.”
Brandt added that each victim generates an average of $280,000 each year for the traffickers.
In addition to the airport-specific training, NIMC also offers a 30-minute e-learning course aimed at teaching the general public about human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Canada.
Brandt said he was inspired to learn more about human trafficking in Canada after seeing such activity overseas 18 years ago. He spent time helping to fund anti-trafficking projects through the Buckspring Foundation, then gave the keynote address at the RCMP’s first Symposium on Human Trafficking in Ottawa. He launched #NotInMyCity five years ago.
“I was between albums and I reached out to my alma mater, Mount Royal University, suggesting that we work on a project together,” said Brandt. “I worked with the business and marketing students, sharing stories with them about my career and philanthropic endeavours. The students were tasked with building social enterprise projects in response to my stories, and through this process, #NotInMyCity was born.”
According to the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, transportation corridors are frequently used by traffickers, and once a victim has been recruited, traffickers will often move them from city to city to maximize profits, access new markets and avoid competition. It also helps keep control of the victim who may not know where they are or how to get help, making it easier for traffickers to evade detection by police.
Members of the public are invited to learn more about the issue by taking a free course found at notinmycity.ca.

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