Item - 2019.EC5.4

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, and the Executive Director Municipal Licensing and Standards, in collaboration with the Medical Officer of Health, and in consultation with community stakeholders, including sex workers, migrant workers and human trafficking survivors, to develop an outreach model and determine an appropriate pilot strategy for the purpose of building trusting relationships, providing support and referrals to relevant services, and informing workers of their rights.

2.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, in consultation with the Medical Officer of Health, to adapt Toronto Public Health's online Human Trafficking Awareness Training module and make available to appropriate frontline, supervisory and management staff at all relevant and interested City Agencies, Corporations and Divisions, including Toronto Employment and Social Services; Shelter, Support and Housing Administration; Parks, Forestry and Recreation; Municipal Licencing and Standards; Children's Services; Toronto Public Library; and Toronto Community Housing.

3.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to coordinate the distribution of posters regarding the human trafficking helpline(s), and the Access Without Fear Policy, to all relevant and interested City Agencies, Corporations and Divisions, including Toronto Employment and Social Services; Shelter, Support and Housing Administration; Parks, Forestry and Recreation; Municipal Licensing and Standards; Children's Services; Toronto Public Library; and Toronto Community Housing.

4.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, to ensure that all efforts to address human trafficking align with the City of Toronto's Access to City Services for Undocumented Torontonians (Access T.O.) policy (2013), which ensures that Torontonians, regardless of immigration status, have access to City services without fear of being asked for proof of status.  

5.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration to consult with the Executive Director, People, Equity and Human Rights, to ensure that City of Toronto anti-human trafficking policies, training modules and outreach models apply a human rights lens, and a non-discriminatory approach.

6.  City Council request the Government of Ontario to continue to support anti-human trafficking initiatives, including new and ongoing supportive housing and programs for survivors of human trafficking.

7.  City Council forward a copy of this report to the Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Office, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, the Attorney General, the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

This report provides information regarding the City's efforts to support survivors of human trafficking.

The recommendations will aim to ensure relevant City programs and services are able to identify and assist survivors of human trafficking in a manner consistent with the City's "anti-human-trafficking lens." An "anti-human trafficking lens" puts the person being trafficked, or at risk of being trafficked, at the centre and prioritizes their safety, well-being and human rights.

The recommendations focus on increased staff training, as well as the creation of a specialized support team to do outreach to people who may be at risk of human trafficking or who may experience other vulnerabilities related to sex work.

The report also provides information about human trafficking and consensual sex work in Toronto. It highlights the importance of understanding the difference between human trafficking and consensual sex work in order to establish and meet policy and program objectives.