Brampton officials along with Peel Regional Police and social service groups gathered on Wednesday to lay out next steps to combat the exploitation of international students within the city.
“Obviously in Peel region, we are more vulnerable, with international airport, major highways and inter modal hub, we are a nexus point,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.
Brown said the city is home to the highest number of international students in Canada. Officials are speaking out following disturbing ads that have been posted online, with some demanding sexual favours in exchange for housing.
“It means there’s a market that they are preying on these very vulnerable individuals,” said Rowena Santos, Regional Councillor, Wards 1 and 5, Chair, Community Services.
After presenting the disturbing rental ads during a September council meeting, Santos presented a motion to council on Wednesday that focuses on strengthening local protections, advocating for systemic change at the provincial and federal levels and creating community-driven solutions.
One resource already being used is the Residential Rental Licensing program which was introduced earlier this year. It allows the city to investigate and inspect rental units. There have already been incidents where landlords have been erroneously breaking the rules.
“We found 18 women in a single unit that has now been referred to Peel police, but this additional municipal tool will help to combat human trafficking,” said Mayor Brown.
There are concerns though that these crimes are being underreported. Since October 1, 2024, there have been 110 investigations in Peel of human trafficking. That’s compared to 127 investigations in all of 2023.
Brampton also intends to work with community partners to develop culturally sensitive pilot programs to provide wrap-around services, including housing assistance, employment resources and anti-trafficking interventions specifically tailored to international students.
City officials said they are finding themselves having to pick up responsibilities that should be on the shoulders of the provincial and federal levels of government.
“Whether that’s dealing with student visas or the legislation around social agencies not being able to support formally international students,” said Santos. “Or with respect to colleges and universities, mandating colleges and universities through the province of Ontario to provide education to students about their human rights and healthcare available to them once they come into Canada.”
Community agencies said they are trying their best to help international students, despite federal red tape in the way.
“We can see an easy fix for this for example federal regulations changed or a pilot program, with an exemption in the city by settlement agencies, that would see existing settlement workers be able to now support international students,” said Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO, Indus Community Services.
The city will also advocate for the endorsement of its International Students Charter by other levels of government, as well as post-secondary institutions across Ontario. The Charter sets out responsibilities for institutions to help students navigate legal rights for housing and employment, while also preventing exploitation.
CityNews reached out to the federal and provincial governments about the concerns being raised and did not hear back in time for broadcast. The motion by Santos has been presented to the federal government. They are hoping for a positive response when it comes to more resources to help end this practice.
“The City of Brampton, clearly, wants to zone in on this cancer within our society, our country,” said Brown.
