Police have “rescued” more than 40 foreign workers from “exploitative” work and living conditions in Simcoe Country in what authorities are calling a “labour human-trafficking investigation.”More than 100 officers from Barrie Police, Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Provincial Police carried out a pre-dawn operation at six locations in Barrie and Wasaga Beach on Tuesday, removing men and women who were hired to work as cleaners in area hotels and resorts.In a statement, Barrie Police said public safety was not in jeopardy and multiple victims of alleged labour human trafficking were “rescued and safely relocated.”“We are still doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work and anything specific to the investigation has to wait until a news conference (expected in the coming days.) Persons of interests have been identified and the investigation remains ongoing,” said Peter Leon, a spokesperson for Barrie Police.According to a source familiar with the investigation, allegations of a labour human-trafficking operation first surfaced in 2015, when complaints by former workers began trickling in. An in-depth investigation ensued at the beginning of last summer after authorities received further leads, the source said.Investigating human trafficking can be challenging because people often don’t speak English, are unfamiliar with their new environment and are afraid to disclose their identities and details of allegations. The workers who came here predominantly from Mexico on visitor visas were allegedly recruited through Facebook and word of mouth for job opportunities in Canada, said the source. They were allegedly housed in squalor and sent to work at hotels and resorts as casual day labourers, the source added.“It’s a huge joint operation among the law enforcement agencies,” the source told the Star. “The workers were paid peanuts after all the deductions for food, rent an ...
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