5 men from Manitoba among more than 100 arrested in national online child sexual exploitation bust

At least five men in Manitoba have been arrested as part of a major online child sexual exploitation operation that led to 106 arrests across Canada.  

The recent sweep, dubbed Project Steel, brought together 63 law enforcement partners from different Canadian jurisdictions between Feb. 17 and 28. 

Dozens of victims were identified and 37 children were safeguarded from harm, RCMP Insp. Matthieu Girard told reporters at a news conference earlier this week. 

Three men in Winnipeg were arrested as part of Project Steel, a police spokesperson told CBC News on Friday.

A search at a home on the 100 block of Furby Street, south of Broadway, led to the seizure of 50 electronic devices and the first arrest on Feb. 19, Winnipeg police said.

A 67-year-old man was arrested and charged with possessing, accessing and making child pornography. 

A second search warrant was executed at a home on the 300 block of Scotia Street, in the Seven Oaks neighbourhood, which led to the seizure of 10 electronics and the arrest of a 28-year-old man on Feb. 28. He has since been charged with possessing and accessing child pornography.

A third man, in his 30s, was arrested on Feb. 26 after officers searched a residence in the city's downtown.

Arrests were also made in Brandon as part of Project Steel, where police executed five search warrants and discovered evidence of possession of child pornography and its distribution, import or sale, according to a Brandon police news release earlier this week.

An 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were charged, while two other investigations continue, police said.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba RCMP said the force has numerous investigations ongoing, but RCMP have not yet made any arrests here in connection with Project Steel. 

Lianna McDonald , the executive director of the Winnipeg-based Canadian Centre for Child Protection, told CBC News in a statement the nationwide investigation is critical policing work, but the bust speaks to a larger issue, as the majority of the arrests happened after online services reported suspected illegal content to the authorities. 

"The problem is that currently, content moderation or any other safety requirements are entirely voluntary. Not all online services do it, and some have even announced a scaling down in doing so," McDonald's statement said. 

"This is, yet again, another example of why Canada needs its own online safety laws."