Ottawa Police partner with #NotInMyCity on human trafficking awareness and staff training

Ottawa Police Service and Ottawa International Airport have announced a new partnership with #NotInMyCity, an anti-human-trafficking organization founded in 2017 by Canadian country music star Paul Brandt and his wife Liz, to raise awareness and identify victims of human trafficking in the city.

The partnership launches immediately on Thursday, July 30, coinciding with the United Nations' World Day Against Trafficking Persons. The initiative will focus on staff training and public education to help recognize signs of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, while creating safer pathways for reporting.

Airports are critical intervention points because victims are frequently moved via air travel. Susan Margles, President and CEO of Ottawa Airport Authority, said the airport is "reinforcing that commitment" to safety by joining the effort.

According to Ottawa Police, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada and globally, with sexual exploitation for profit as the most common form. Between January 1, 2023, and July 24, 2026, the OPS Human Trafficking Unit reviewed 266 police reports for possible trafficking signs, resulting in 20 investigations and 244 criminal charges. A new reporting category added in 2026 identified 152 additional occurrences. Over the same period, 141 human trafficking occurrences were recorded, with 19 individuals charged, including 17 men aged 22 to 41 and 2 women aged 17 and 36.