Hotel and Motel staff can play a vital role in recognizing the signs of trafficking in persons, says the president of the Hotel and Motel Association of Ontario Restaurants.
Dharmesh Patel says that he is particularly encouraging Windsor owners of independent hotels who do not have access to corporate training programs on the subject to take advantage of a free course for staff and managers who are not called no at our hotel.
The course teaches students to detect the signs of possible people trafficking and inform them safely, Patel said, also general manager of Quality Inn Leamington.
An example would be “if someone inflexible in paying in cash or does not have a credit card issued by the bank,” he said.
“Then you are also looking for things like … if you see signs of fear in the people who are with them.”
A person who brings guests through a side door can also be a sign, he said.
The largest red flag
But the largest red flag is a lot of traffic to and from a room.
The state of Windsor as a border city and travel center makes it a goal for traffickers, Patel added.
“This is proactive and protecting vulnerable people. And then for us in hospitality, it is no longer about the guest’s comfort. It is about the safety of guests and the responsibility of the community.”
According to Statistics Canada, they reported just over 4,500 people trafficking in Canada between 2013 and 2023.
There were 570 in 2023 alone.
The Ontario rate of 2.1 incidents per 100,000 population puts it well above the national average of 1.4 percent.
The traffic activity in the hotels seemed to disappear in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when the hotels had much more strict controls about how people went and went, Patel said.
But now, he added, the authorities tell him that he is on the rise again.
“Much of this happens or originates for some reason from the Montreal area in 401, and then they stop the road,” he said.
“Therefore, they will hit different cities in smaller secondary markets as they advance.”
Training staff is not about putting them in dangerous situations, he said.
It is simply to let them know when to alert the authorities about possible suspicious activities.
But he said that it is also about making hotels owners responsible and responsible for what allow it to happen in their properties.
“If none of us rent to these people … then they don’t have anywhere, right? And that will obviously help the cause,” he said.
“Then it is no longer happening here, which is our ultimate goal.”
Windsor’s executive executive director said she is always happy when sectors such as the hotel industry realize that they have a role in prevention of human trafficking.
Continuous training is important, said Shelley Gilbert.
“The issue of traffic is really evolving,” he said. “So, having continuous conversations about what people listen to … so that they can be prepared is really important.”
Gilbert said it is essential to call the police in emergency situations, but a variety of strategies are needed to help victims.
“We have seen other strategies in which there is a particular record with … ‘If you are in trouble, ask for Mary, for example,” he gave as an example.
But ultimately, he added, people trying to flee from traffickers need housing, income support, training, mental health and trauma support.
“Most of the people we have worked with, unfortunately it is not the first experience of violence and exploitation they have experienced in their lives,” Gilbert said.
“To help someone really start healing and changing some of those things, he needs resources and support.”
