Status of Women Committee on June 4th, 2026

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Are women losing confidence in the system?

[Carol Wildgoose]

I can't speak to that.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Survivors carry trauma not only from intense physical and sexual abuse but also from financial exploitation. Many are forced to use personal information tied to their credit score, which may be a barrier to accessing housing in the future.

What can we do to help survivors repair their damaged credit scores so that they can move forward on being self-sufficient and getting into housing without their past traumas following them?

[Carol Wildgoose]

I can't speak to that exactly.

However, there is legislation in Ontario that clears the debts of people who've been trafficked. That helps with credit scores, absolutely.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

I recently watched a documentary about the prevalence of human trafficking along the 401 corridor. I read that you supported 360 survivors.

Without supportive shelters specific to survivors of human trafficking, where are they being housed?

[Carol Wildgoose]

That's a really good question. I ask that one myself, all the time. You have to understand that I'm not one of the employees working in these wonderful places where people are being helped.

Initially, VQRP, or the victim quick response program, covers the cost of going to a hotel. Of course, as we heard earlier, that's not a safe place to go, because people can be trafficked from there. They go to shelters. The workers in agencies that support survivors look for shelters in places far afield from where a survivor came out of the trafficking situation. Spaces are found for them, or they end up going to a family or friend. Oftentimes, they end up back in a trafficking situation because they're vulnerable.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

In Quebec, ankle monitor bracelets have been used as a method to protect women from abusive partners.

Would you agree that nationwide provisions for using ankle monitor bracelets when violent offenders are released on bail could improve the safety of all women and perhaps encourage more women to leave an abusive relationship and seek safety?

[Carol Wildgoose]

I haven't done a lot of research on that, but I suppose it could be helpful.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Is there anything I'm missing that you might like to add to the record while you're here?

[Carol Wildgoose]

It's very important that we look at this group of people who have been victimized so severely and understand how unique their traumas are.

I spoke with someone at Build Canada Homes. They'd worked in the field for 18 years and had never had anybody ask them about housing for trafficking survivors. It is really important that we understand how much this has not been seen. Everybody understands when we talk to them about how awful the situation is, but when it comes to doing something, we run into roadblocks. We have to take away the roadblocks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dominique Vien]

That will be the last word in this discussion.

I'll turn it over to Ms. Nathan for five minutes.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Madam Chair, through you, I want to thank the witnesses for being here.

I understand that York region has a huge issue with trafficking. The police work very closely with the school systems and other agencies and have developed some programs for that as well.

My first question is for Ms. Wildgoose.

I know that York region is a tiered government, and the region is responsible for housing. It owns some land in the area, in different cities in York region. Have you tried to partner with the region to access some of the housing funding?

[Carol Wildgoose]

I work very closely with York region, with the chair and with staff, and they have put housing for sex-trafficking survivors on their list of housing that needs to be developed. Also, yes, I have looked at surplus land with them.

At the moment, there isn't any that we could use for this particular project, because, of course, where you select to have a safe house is a very specific place. Actually, we hoped to purchase two acres of land if we had the money to do so, out of an 11-acre parcel; it was almost perfect. Unfortunately, we lost it because that land got sold before I could come up with the dollars.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

I understand. Thank you for that.

In terms of Sandgate and some of the others—Yellow Brick House and those shelters that are in the York region—do they have any beds at all for trafficking survivors?

[Carol Wildgoose]

They are not appropriate places for trafficking survivors to go.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Do they allocate any beds?

[Carol Wildgoose]

Jacqueline could better answer that question, but yes, Sandgate has had survivors there.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Do you have to turn people away if they ever come to you? They probably won't come to you directly because they may not know where the safe houses are—

[Carol Wildgoose]

There is no safe house. I'm a volunteer. I don't have a house. I mean, I have a house, but it's not a safe house for survivors. I'm not being facetious. I'm just saying that we don't have it. That's the problem.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Got it. Thank you for that.

For Ms. Benn-John, maybe I could ask you that question. I know that you're a counselling service agency. You would probably do a lot of safety planning with women who come to your centre.

The reason I'm asking this question is about prior to COVID-19 and the amount of cases. Post-COVID-19 or during COVID-19, we saw the numbers jump. Can you talk about some of the reasons for these huge numbers that we are now seeing?

[Dr. Jacqueline Benn-John]

Thank you so much for your question.

Absolutely. As an organization, the Women's Support Network of York Region has seen the numbers jump. We have more women and youth looking for support—specifically those who have experienced sexual violence, but also for human trafficking.

We must recognize that there's greater public attention and more awareness. We've had the #MeToo movement. We've had recent cases that we know about—for example, the Hockey Canada case. We know there are more cases coming forward. That doesn't necessarily mean they will have a successful outcome, but there's greater awareness.

There are more people seeking support. We see an increased number of referrals from local schools in York region and from the school boards. We have more self-referrals. We are receiving referrals from other organizations. As there's greater awareness regarding mental health and the connection to trauma, we see more individuals seeking practical assistance.

There's been an increase in the number of clients who need assistance with transportation in order to prioritize counselling and care for themselves. This is in combination with the poor economy we are experiencing at this time, and that has also driven up and increased cases of trafficking, in which more individuals are being exploited. There's more sextortion taking place, and unfortunately, there are different ways that individuals are being coerced.

We have seen an increase in our service data and people in need of various forms of support.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dominique Vien]

Thank you, Ms. Benn‑John. That brings us to the end of this conversation.

I will now give the floor to Ms. Larouche for two and a half minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Mercer and Ms. Wildgoose, thank you for your testimony.

Ms. Benn‑John, as I was saying, your work helps women break out of the cycle of violence. A number of organizations have told us that shelters are not just places to stay, but a real chance for women to rebuild their lives. What are the essential services that should be kept in mind to enable women to regain their autonomy?

[Dr. Jacqueline Benn-John]

Essential services are services that could definitely work from a trauma-informed place. They are services that have flexibility on how to access them and understand why a client may miss an appointment. They are services that are not punitive, that meet clients where they are and that could offer wraparound supports or make referrals to agencies that could address the other presenting needs.

It's very rare that a client is seeking support for one issue. After an intake, you realize there are multiple complex issues at play in a case. It can include immigration issues, such as precarious status. It can include issues with mental health, unemployment or underemployment, so there are multiple issues. How do we support someone seeking assistance in dealing with trauma when they have all of these other presenting issues?

We must work together as a community. Community agencies collaborate. The model of a safe house that includes a service hub is important. We can't address only one need, which is the immediate safe housing, and not ensure that the same client has access to the additional supports they need not only to recover from trauma but also to be on that healing journey and to access other supports needed.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

What services would be the hardest to fund right now?