M’CHIGEENG—A new report from Thomson Reuters reveals that Canada’s crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is deeply rooted not only in rural and remote communities but also in urban centres across the country.
The study, ‘Missing and Stolen: Disappearances and Trafficking of Indigenous Peoples in Canada,’ identifies Winnipeg, Edmonton and the Prince Albert–Regina–Saskatoon triangle as hotspots for MMIW cases between 2010 and April 2024. Ontario’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is also highlighted for its high rates of disappearances and online sex ads featuring Indigenous women and girls, a common indicator of human trafficking.
Opening the report is the story of Juanita “Winnie” Migwans, of M’Chigeeng First Nation and cites the February 2025 story in the Expositor “Juanita Migwans info reward bumped to $100,000.” The report also notes that speculation has focused on Toronto-based drug gangs “increasingly exploiting remote and vulnerable Indigenous communities,” underscoring how trafficking networks target the margins of Canadian society.
But MMIW cannot be untangled from the dark undercurrent of human trafficking, a sister crisis that traps Indigenous women and girls in cycles of violence and exploitation. This report stitches together both realities, using geospatial analysis of carefully gathered data—disappearances matched with the digital traces of sex ads—to pull back the curtain on a problem too often dismissed or ignored.
Indigenous peoples—First Nations, Inuit, Métis—make up roughly five percent of Canada’s population. Yet, in a grim testament to systemic failure, the 2014 National Task Force on Sex Trafficking revealed that Indigenous women and girls represent over half the trafficked population. Even more harrowing: three-quarters of Indigenous girls under 18 have suffered sexual abuse, half of them before their 14th birthday.
This isn’t random. It’s the product of layers of colonial violence and structural neglect. Among the root causes, unstable housing stands out—Indigenous peoples face unsheltered homelessness far more than non-Indigenous Canadians, and where shelter falters, poverty and abuse move in like shadows.
The report documents 185 MMIW cases across Canada, with 67 percent (124) of victims still missing. The average age was 30. Alberta holds 25 percent of cases, Manitoba 21 percent, Ontario 17 percent, British Columbia 15 percent, Saskatchewan 13 percent and other provinces, nine percent. Cities like Winnipeg account for 14 percent of disappearances, Edmonton eight percent (10.5 percent including metro areas), and the Prairie Triangle 10 percent.
Between 2016 and the present, 3,485 sex ads claiming to feature Indigenous women or girls were identified—most posted in Ontario (57 percent), British Columbia (21 percent) and Alberta (18 percent).
Northern Ontario, including communities on and around Manitoulin Island, has long faced its own challenges related to MMIW. While the Thomson Reuters report focuses on major urban centres, locally based research and community advocacy reveal that Indigenous women in Northern Ontario are vulnerable to similar cycles of disappearance and exploitation, compounded by geographic isolation, limited resources and jurisdictional complexity.
Past reporting from this region has shown how women travel from remote reserves or small towns to cities like Sudbury, Thunder Bay, and beyond, often seeking safety, jobs or connection. Unfortunately, this migration sometimes exposes them to heightened risks of violence, trafficking or going missing.
Thomson Reuters’ Heather C. Panton stresses the importance of national coordination: “The correlation between geographic hotspots and victim experiences across Canada shows why integrated data and cross-border collaboration are critical.”
The report recommends: Creating a comprehensive national database for Indigenous disappearances including tribal and activist data; using sex ad data to assist investigations and locate missing women; prioritizing resources in known hotspots, including northern urban centres; and strengthening Canada-U.S. partnerships to address trafficking.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-833-900-1010 or hotline@ccteht.ca for anyone who suspects trafficking or needs help.
