Alberta
Province setting up Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons
Fighting human trafficking with community partners
Alberta’s government is partnering with three community organizations and investing $4 million to create the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
Human trafficking is a serious crime that violates the freedoms and rights of individuals, including children, and attempts to destroy all personal identity and relationships. The three main categories of human trafficking are sex trafficking, labour trafficking and the trafficking of organs. Between 2011 and 2021, more than 3,500 incidents of human trafficking were reported across Canada. Many incidents go unreported, often due to fear among victims and survivors.
To fight against human trafficking, Alberta’s government developed the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force, which submitted its final report in August of 2021. The report has five primary recommendations for government to assist in combatting human trafficking. The first of these is to create an Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which will facilitate the implementation of the remaining recommendations. Alberta’s government has committed $4 million over two years to make this office a reality.
“We can’t afford to close our eyes to the problem of human trafficking. And we can’t afford to ignore those who are at risk of being trafficked or those who have been trafficked. I’m proud that our government is creating this Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons to keep fighting this scourge on society.”
Operation of the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons will be led in partnership by #NotInMyCity, Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) and REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities. Under their leadership, the office is another step closer to connecting survivors and victims of human trafficking to important supports and services.
In addition to the work with victims and survivors, the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons will enhance public awareness and establish a more effective data collection process. This data will monitor the effectiveness of service delivery and help close gaps in tracking cross-jurisdictional trafficking incidents.
“The first step to fighting human trafficking is to raise awareness of the issue and its presence right here in Alberta. We are grateful to have strong partnerships with organizations that have proven to be effective in this, along with directly supporting survivors and victims. Every investment made into the combating of human trafficking is helping restore the humanity and freedom that every individual deserves.”
#NotInMyCity is a non-profit organization working to prevent, disrupt and end human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Since 2016, the organization has been building community alliances to spur collective action, always learning from and elevating the voices of victims and survivors. The organization is an important education and awareness resource for affected sectors and all Albertans.
“This milestone wouldn’t be possible without the countless organizations and individuals who shared their experiences and expertise in our journey with Alberta’s Human Trafficking Task Force. Combating human trafficking requires collective action, and we applaud the province for taking a collaborative approach with the community.”
Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) has operated in the province for more than five decades with a focus on fair and equitable treatment for Indigenous people across Alberta. From supports for family and youth to restorative justice to the active pursuit of reconciliation, the NCSA has had an important and positive impact on supports and assistance for Indigenous people in the province.
“We are advocating for Indigenous people in Alberta and committed to educating others on the important issues of exploitation and human trafficking. Understanding the Indigenous worldview and the resilience of Indigenous individuals, families and communities is a gift of learning. We are here to help and hear the people.”
REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities has brought together community members and organizations for more than a decade to address social challenges, advance community safety and build relationships between cultural minority communities and police services. Their experience in engaging and convening diverse community partners to find and fill service gaps will benefit the new office.
“Human trafficking is a complex problem that requires a systems approach to tackle, with multiple partners working in unison and leveraging our collective strengths and expertise. REACH is looking forward to helping build up and operate the new office to help make Alberta a safer place for everyone.”
With community partners now selected, work is underway to set up, organize and staff the office. The office will share updates on the progress of this work in the coming months.
Quick facts
- The task force was part of the Alberta government’s platform commitment to implement a nine-point Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.
- All nine points of Alberta’s Human Trafficking Action Plan have been implemented, or implementation is ongoing.
- Police services in Canada reported more than 3,500 incidents of human trafficking between 2011 and 2021, with the vast majority of victims (96 per cent) being women and girls, and one-quarter of victims under the age of 18.
- The most overrepresented victim group was Indigenous women and girls.
- Those interested in learning more about human trafficking, how to recognize it and how to help can take #NotInMyCity’s 30-minute online e-learning course Mobilizing Communities to Disrupt Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Canada.
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From LifeSiteNews
“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector”
Alberta has rejected the Liberal government’s “unconstitutional” federal plastics registry and production limit.
In an April 25 press release, Alberta’s Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz promised to take Liberal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to court over his proposal to create a plastics registry, mandating companies to report their plastic production and implementation.
“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector,” Schulz declared.
“This unilateral announcement is a slap in the face to Alberta and our province’s petrochemical industry, and the thousands of Albertans who work in it,” she continued.
Guilbeault’s plan, set to be implemented in September 2025, would mandate that businesses record how much plastic they place on the market in addition to the amount of plastic waste generated on their commercial, industrial, and institutional premises.
Companies would then report that amount to the federal government. The plan exempts small businesses which produce less than one tonne of plastic each year.
However, Schulz explained that the registry would negatively affect Alberta, as “plastics production is a growing part of Alberta’s economy, and we are positioned to lead the world for decades to come in the production of carbon neutral plastics.”
“Minister Guilbeault’s proposal would throw all of that into jeopardy and risk billions of dollars in investments. This includes projects like Dow Chemical’s net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan, a $9-billion project that will create thousands of jobs,” she warned.
Schulz further pointed out that the mandate will not reduce plastic production since countries such as China will produce more plastic to make up for Canada.
“If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other countries like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada,” she explained.
Schulz’s statement comes after the November decision by the Federal Court to rule in favor of Alberta and Saskatchewan, declaring that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government overstepped its authority by classifying plastic as “toxic” and banning all single-use plastic items, like straws.
Essentially, the ruling overturned Trudeau’s 2022 law which outlawed manufacturing or importing plastic straws, cutlery, and checkout bags on the grounds of government claims that plastic was having a negative effect on the oceans. In reality, most plastic pollution in the oceans comes from a few countries, like India and China, which dump waste directly on beaches or in rivers.
The November ruling was only one of two recent court rulings that have dealt a blow to Trudeau’s environmental laws.
The second ruling came after Canada’s Supreme Court recently sided in favor of provincial autonomy when it comes to natural resources. The Supreme Court recently ruled that Trudeau’s law C-69, dubbed the “no-more pipelines” bill, is “mostly unconstitutional.” This was a huge win for Alberta and Saskatchewan, which challenged the law in court. The decision returned authority over the pipelines to provincial governments, meaning oil and gas projects headed up by the provinces should be allowed to proceed without federal intrusion.
The Trudeau government, however, seems insistent on defying the recent rulings by pushing forward with its various regulations.
Company sentenced for workplace fatality
An oilfield equipment supplier will pay $360,000 related to a workplace fatality.
On Feb. 21, 2024 in the Red Deer Court of Justice, Isolation Equipment Services Inc. pleaded guilty to one charge under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code for failing to take measures to eliminate the potential danger of equipment or material that was dislodged or moved. The Crown withdrew 28 other charges under OHS legislation. The company was sentenced on April 24.
The charges stem from an incident on a Red Deer construction site on Jan. 13, 2022. A worker operating an overhead crane was positioning a valve bonnet when the equipment released from the rigging, striking and pinning the worker. The worker sustained fatal injuries.
The company will pay $360,000 in total penalties, including a $1,000 fine. Under a creative sentence, $359,000 will be paid to Energy Safety Canada to develop supervisor and competency programs targeting those who work with new, young and inexperienced workers.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act provides a creative sentence option in which funds that would otherwise be paid as fines are directed to an organization or project to improve or promote workplace health and safety.
Both the company and the Crown have up to 30 days to appeal the conviction or penalties.
Alberta’s OHS laws set basic health and safety rules for workplaces across the province. They provide guidance for employers to help them ensure their workplaces are as healthy and safe as possible while providing rights and protections for workers. Charges under OHS laws may be laid when failing to follow the rules results in a workplace fatality or serious injury.
Quick facts
- Jobs, Economy and Trade does not provide sentence documents. These are available through the Red Deer Court of Justice.
- Victim fine surcharges apply to fines payable to the Crown. The $1,000 fine in this case includes the 20 per cent surcharge. Surcharges are not applied to payments to other entities, in this case Energy Safety Canada, under creative sentences.
- Fatality investigation summaries are posted to alberta.ca/fatality-
investigation-reports 60 to 90 days after court proceedings conclude.
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