A significant human trafficking investigation known as Project Endgame played a key role in launching Alberta’s broader efforts to combat trafficking. The initiative is part of Alberta’s multi-year anti-trafficking strategy aimed at expanding enforcement and victim services across the province.Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis in July 2023 launched $4 million in funding over two years to establish the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, as part of a larger, four-year initiative costing $20.8 million.Project Endgame led to the arrest of three men in Alberta — two in Red Deer on July 23, 2024, and one in Edmonton on January 31, 2025 — in a bust that spanned three provinces.The accused, all originally from Montreal, are suspected of operating a trafficking ring that exploited women across Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec for more than a decade. Authorities say the case is one of Alberta’s largest anti-trafficking operations and highlights the importance of interprovincial cooperation..Alberta launches $5.5M grant program to combat human trafficking, four victims recently rescued.Project Endgame was led by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), with assistance from municipal and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Edmonton Police Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Quebec joint forces anti-pimping team known as EILP.Police said victims were transported between provinces and controlled through coercion, threats, and economic dependence. Several victims have since been connected with support services.“This investigation reflects the scale of human trafficking in Canada and the need for interprovincial cooperation,” said Insp. David Dubnyk during a February 8, 2024, press conference.Ellis in a government news release at the time of the centre’s launch said the new office is "helping to streamline services for victims and survivors, improve data collection, and fill gaps in how trafficking is tracked across jurisdictions."According to ALERT, the provincial funding has already enabled a measurable expansion in intervention capacity. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, the agency reported 113 victim interventions—up from 28 the year before. These interventions include extraction from trafficking situations, emergency services, trauma-informed care, and long-term supports such as housing and legal assistance.“Victims are getting younger, and their stories are more complex,” said Dubnyk at the February briefing.“But what we’re seeing now is the power of coordinated response. With better funding, better awareness, and better partnerships, we’re reaching more people than ever before.”.Known human trafficker issued Canadian passport.In addition to law enforcement operations, Alberta has expanded funding for civil society organizations that provide frontline services. In December 2024, the province announced an additional $5.5 million in grants to 19 organizations through its Combatting Trafficking in Persons program.“Human trafficking is a serious and often hidden crime that devastates lives and communities,” said Ellis at a press conference at the time.“This funding will empower community-based organizations to provide specialized services that protect vulnerable individuals and break the cycle of exploitation.”Country music artist Paul Brandt, founder of #NotInMyCity and co-chair of the Alberta Centre to End Trafficking in Persons, praised the government’s effort, calling human trafficking “a vile attack on human dignity.”Brandt, who has worked alongside law enforcement in undercover operations, told the Western Standard he has personally spoken to and worked with survivors of human trafficking.“We’ve got to do better for victims of this crime who are bearing the consequences of lifelong trauma as a result of people using force, fraud, and coercion for profit in Canada,” said Brandt.“I think that working together with law enforcement, frontline agencies across jurisdictions and borders — including the southern border — is very important.”Brandt said 25% of trafficking inflows in North America are cross-border situations, and that the average age of victims is just 13 years old. He added that in the last 60 days, four victims were rescued from trafficking at the Calgary International Airport.“Traffickers are often moved from eastern Canada into Alberta because they can make more money with victims here, and there are predictable routes,” said Brandt.Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) union president Mark Weber, speaking in December, disclosed on national television that fewer than 1% of imports are inspected and nothing arriving by train is searched — raising concerns about both goods and people being trafficked across the border.Ellis, responding to a question from the Western Standard on the matter said, “The statistics are extremely concerning, quite frankly.”“But this is why we're not sitting idly by,” he said, pointing to new Alberta measures to bolster enforcement capacity at the provincial level..Ellis said the province is engaging the CBSA and RCMP, and “felt as though the augmenting and supporting and assistance that we will be able to provide them was welcome.”When asked about deterrents for traffickers who cross borders knowing inspections are minimal, Ellis criticized what he described as “soft on crime policies” under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.“We have seen organized crime, not only in this province, but throughout Canada, be able to thrive in an environment with little to no consequences,” Ellis told the Western Standard.“This is why we're seeing not small gangs — we are seeing large cartels, international cartels that are setting up shop, not just here in Alberta, but right throughout Canada.”.Human trafficking surges by 73% under Trudeau Liberals .The province’s approach stems from the 2022 final report of Alberta’s Human Trafficking Task Force The Reading Stone: The Survivor’s Lens to Human Trafficking which outlined 19 recommendations. These included enhanced coordination between agencies, more robust support for survivors, and improved public education.In response, Alberta has moved to update its legal tools. The Protecting Survivors of Human Trafficking Act, passed in 2020, remains one of the few provincial laws in Canada to offer restraining orders against traffickers and to facilitate access to services.Authorities say Project Endgame underscores the need for continued investment and coordination. The investigation required collaboration between multiple provinces, shared intelligence, and access to survivor support services beyond Alberta’s borders. “This isn’t just a provincial issue. It’s national,” Dubnyk said. “We need federal engagement, consistent legislation, and sustained funding to keep pace.”Smith has stated that her government will continue to assess the effectiveness of the strategy. In a February 2025 statement, she said the province is committed to ensuring all allocations are subject to performance monitoring and outcome reporting.“We are committed to ensuring that every dollar of this funding translates into meaningful change,” said Smith..Alberta government to spend $4 million on human trafficking office.Critics have pointed to ongoing gaps in transparency. The province has not yet provided detailed public reporting on the Alberta Centre’s activities, nor a breakdown of how many victim interventions have led to charges or successful prosecutions. The list of grant applicants remains undisclosed, and mechanisms for independent oversight of the funding allocation process have not been outlined.Ellis has acknowledged the limitations of early reporting but maintains that the foundation now in place will support further progress.“We’re not just trying to make headlines—we’re trying to change lives,” he said at a news conference in April 2025.“We’re building something durable here, something survivors can rely on not just today, but years from now.”
