Ontario investing $20M into fighting human trafficking
More than half of the money will go to prevention and services for victims
Ontario is investing $20 million a year as part of a new strategy being developed to combat human trafficking.
"It can happen to absolutely anyone. These are our kids, and its our responsibility to protect them," said Ford on Thursday.
He said the new strategy is going to be "stronger" and will ensure that survivors are supported and offenders are held accountable.
Ford said the plan is to invest $20 million "every single year" into anti-human trafficking initiatives.
While we develop our new strategy, our government is investing $20 million per year to ensure survivors get the support they need, keep vulnerable children and youth safe, and give police the tools and resources to combat these heinous crimes. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EndHumanTrafficking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EndHumanTrafficking</a> <a href="https://t.co/1KSlK5WwGc">pic.twitter.com/1KSlK5WwGc</a>
—@fordnationMore than half of that money will be going to prevention and services for victims, including emergency and transitional housing and trauma-informed counselling.
An Ontario Provincial Police anti-human trafficking team that co-ordinates information sharing will be getting $2.2 million in funding.
A breakdown of where the money will be spent can be found here.
Jill Dunlop, the associate minister of children and women's issues, said she held roundtables with frontline workers, survivors, Indigenous partners, and law enforcement over the summer.
"We will be building on the feedback we heard from these roundatble discussions," she said.
The new strategy will be led by Dunlop and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.
Ontario, Dunlop said, is a "hub" for trafficking, with most victims under the age of 25.
The Ontario government says more than two-thirds of police-reported human trafficking violations in Canada occur inside the province.
With files from Canadian Press