Operation Stream shuts down child porn streaming service Kidflix, multiple arrests including in Saskatchewan, Alberta

A global police operation targeting one of the world’s largest child sexual exploitation platforms has led to dozens of arrests worldwide, including charges laid against individuals in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Operation Stream, supported by Europol and led by German authorities, resulted in the shutdown of Kidflix, a massive online platform that hosted child pornography. 

The site had more than 1.8 million users from April 2022 to March 2025, and contained some 72,000 videos at the time it was seized on March 11 by German and Dutch authorities.

The joint investigation included over 35 countries, among them Canada, and has so far identified nearly 1,400 suspects across the globe. 

As of now, 79 individuals have been arrested for accessing, sharing, or producing child sexual abuse content.

In Saskatchewan, the province’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit acted on a lead provided through Operation Stream and began investigating a user in Regina. 

On March 27, ICE officers searched a home in Regina and examined several electronic devices. 

Following their investigation, 23-year-old Edmund James Bellegarde Jr. was charged with possession and accessing child pornography.

Bellegarde has been released under strict conditions and is scheduled to appear in court on May 14. 

The Saskatchewan ICE Unit includes officers from the RCMP and municipal police forces in Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert, and works to combat the online abuse and exploitation of children.

Meanwhile, a separate arrest in Edmonton was also tied to Operation Stream. 

ALERT’s ICE unit, which includes members of the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), received information in January 2025 from Europol and Canada’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre that an Edmonton man had been using Kidflix.

A search warrant was carried out on March 10 at a southeast Edmonton home. 

EPS officers seized a smartphone and desktop computer, which are now undergoing forensic analysis.

A 36-year-old man was charged with possession, access, and distribution of child pornography. 

He was released under conditions and will return to court on April 14.

“While many people believe they can hide in these corners of the dark web, the online world is not anonymous,” said Detective Erik Bjarnason of ALERT ICE.

“Law enforcement continues to adapt to the everchanging landscape of online criminal behavior. Successes like this are fueled by dedicated investigators working with partners around the world to protect the children that have been victimized in the production of this material.”

ALERT, Alberta’s integrated police agency focused on serious and organized crime, praised the international collaboration that made Operation Stream possible.