As Sudbury is recognized as a hotspot for modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT) in Northern Ontario, staff at The Salvation Army Sudbury Cedar Place sought to better understand the scope of the problem.

On May 2, 2025, Spotting the Signs – Breaking the Chains, a conference hosted by The Salvation Army, brought together speakers to the mining community to share insights into the realities of human trafficking, its ties to addiction and homelessness, and the critical warning signs.

“If it’s happening under our nose, we should be able to point someone in the right direction, make an appropriate referral, and get that person the assistance they need,” said Barbara Ridley, executive director of Sudbury Cedar Place.

A Survivor’s Story

Among the guest speakers was Michelle Furgiuele, a trafficking survivor and director of national training at Timea’s Cause, a social enterprise that raises awareness about unresolved trauma.

Michelle shared that she grew up in an upper-middle-class home, where she was the “trusted daughter” no one worried about. But a lack of close friendships left her vulnerable. When someone friended her on social media and introduced her to older men who showered her with attention, she felt she had finally found a meaningful connection.

“I spent two months over the summer with them, having the time of my life. I genuinely thought they were my greatest friends,” she recalled.

But the attention quickly turned into exploitation. At just 15 years old, Michelle was trafficked for five years while attending high school and living under her parents’ roof.

“I didn’t realize I was being trafficked,” she said. “To me, prostitution was what I saw downtown Toronto—people walking the streets. I didn’t know what was happening other than I was being forced to do things that I didn’t want to do,” she says.

Michelle maintained a double life—keeping up appearances at home and holding a part-time job, while secretly spending up to five nights a week being moved from hotel to hotel to satisfy her traffickers. Her parents, busy with work and her brother’s rep hockey schedule, didn’t realize what was happening.

Concern only arose when Michelle’s behaviour changed drastically. Initially suspected of drug use—an idea dismissed after a negative test—her parents became alarmed when $20,000 went missing from their bank account. Michelle had given traffickers access to their debit card. Instead of receiving help, she was blamed and nearly charged by police.

In total, Michelle spent 13 years in the sex trade in the Greater Toronto Area.

From Survivor to Advocate

Her path to recovery began when she met a fellow survivor and advocate who helped her understand what had happened and connect with resources to leave the sex trade.

Today, Michelle educates organizations about the realities of modern slavery and human trafficking.

“Traffickers hate this being publicized. This is a crime that happens in plain sight, and they want to keep it hidden in plain sight. The more communities know about human trafficking and the more they raise awareness, it makes traffickers not want to come to that city,” Michelle says.

Conference presenters expanded on how MSHT intersects with other vulnerabilities.

Jelise Keating, anti-human trafficking coordinator with Angels of Hope against Human Trafficking, highlighted the connections between trafficking, addiction, and homelessness.

“Traffickers utilize addiction and substances as a form of control. However, victims and survivors of sex trafficking use specifically tobacco, marijuana or alcohol as a coping mechanism,” Jelise says.

Daniella Northrup and Melissa Rogers, speaking on behalf of Amelia Rising Sexual Violence Support Centre in North Bay, emphasized the need to address root causes—such as housing insecurity, isolation, and online exploitation—while recognizing that healing and recovery are non-linear processes.

Joining virtually from California, United States of America, Armand King, founder of Walk With Me Impact and a reformed trafficker, discussed the importance of resilience and emotional healing. He says that resilience isn’t about survival but about transformation: teaching emotional intelligence, self-worth, and community healing.

He noted that domestic sex trafficking thrives in urban areas, where youth, especially boys, are conditioned into the lifestyle before they even understand it. The absence of mentorship, coupled with poverty and systemic neglect, creates a pipeline for recruitment.

Leigh Ann Davidson shared her lived experience with homelessness, which began at just 14 after her mother, who struggled with mental illness, became emotionally abusive and neglectful.

“It was safer to sleep in a tent or couch surf than to be at home,” Leigh Ann says. “It took me 25 years to tell you that it wasn’t my fault.”

Spot the Warning Signs

In 2024 alone, Greater Sudbury Police reported 71 human trafficking-related occurrences, laid 25 charges, and identified 25 potential victims.

Aura Burditt, an MSHT outreach worker with The Salvation Army Correctional and Justice Services in London, Ontario, emphasized the national scope of the issue.

“There are an estimated 17,000 enslaved people in Canada. The Salvation Army is involved in the fight against human trafficking because we see it as a human rights infraction. It is important that people can see hope in their lives and see their way to living life fully.”

Ontario remains the hub for human trafficking in Canada, accounting for two-thirds of all police-reported cases. Aura stressed that these numbers barely scratch the surface. “Just the tip of the iceberg,” she said, noting that trafficking is vastly underreported.

Aura outlined red flags to watch for: sudden changes in mood or behaviour, mental health struggles, lack of sleep or frequent school absences, physical injuries, new or older friends, unexplained cash, loss of ID or phones, and substance use.

“It’s important to set our judgments aside,” Aura added. “We need to see people as people, not as victims, prostitutes, or criminals. Approaching them with compassion and support can make all the difference.”

If you suspect someone is being trafficked, call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.

Your support of The Salvation Army helps ensure vital programs and services continue to reach those in need across Ontario. Donate today at 1-800-SAL-ARMY or visit www.SalvationArmy.ca.