Will place significant new compliance obligations on hotel operators, online accommodation platforms and driver-for-hire services
Human trafficking legislation introduced in Saskatchewan on Nov. 2 will place significant new compliance obligations on hotel operators, online accommodation platforms and driver-for-hire services.
The proposed amendments would require businesses in those sectors to report suspected incidents of human trafficking to police. For HR professionals, the changes carry direct implications for workforce training, recordkeeping procedures and the development of internal reporting protocols.
Saskatchewan justice minister and attorney general Tim McLeod said the legislation targets the concealed, mobile nature of trafficking networks. “Human trafficking is a serious crime that causes lasting harm to victims, families and communities,” McLeod said. “These amendments build on our government’s commitment to combat human trafficking and hold offenders accountable.”
What the legislation would require
Hotel operators would need to maintain more detailed customer registers than currently mandated — a specific operational standard that HR and compliance teams will need to translate into updated policies and staff procedures.
Police would gain authority to demand access to those registers when there are reasonable grounds to believe the information could help locate a victim, and officers who exercise that power would be required to file written reports and contribute to annual disclosure on how frequently access is requested.
The amendments would also update provisions related to victims coerced into debt — a common mechanism traffickers use to maintain control.
It’s not like in the movies — people aren’t necessarily handcuffed to radiators — but human trafficking is a serious issue that needs addressing, according to Julia Drydyk, executive director at the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking (CCEHT), speaking last year about new training called “Not in Our Hotel” for staff at hotels.
National problem with local dimension
The legislation arrives against a backdrop of rising trafficking figures. According to the Statistics Canada Juristat report on trafficking in persons in Canada, published Dec. 8, 2025, police services across Canada recorded 608 human trafficking incidents in 2024 alone, at a rate of 1.5 incidents per 100,000 population — and 5,070 incidents nationally between 2014 and 2024. The agency notes that official figures represent only a partial picture, as trafficking is widely underreported.
The hospitality sector’s exposure to this issue is well documented. The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking’s (CCEHT) analysis of trafficking risk in the hospitality industry identifies hotels, motels, casinos and other tourism-related businesses as known sites of both sex and labour trafficking activity, and recommends that provincial governments mandate staff training and require establishments to post the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline number as part of their licensing conditions.
The national hotel industry has been moving in a similar direction. Hotels Canada — formerly the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC), which rebranded in March 2026 — issued a joint statement with provincial hotel associations on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in February 2026, committing the industry to raising awareness, ensuring staff are trained to recognize the signs of trafficking, and supporting clear reporting and response pathways.
Jim Bence, president and chief executive officer of Hospitality Saskatchewan, said the sector supports the proposed direction. “Hotels, motels and other accommodation providers are often in a unique position to recognize the warning signs of trafficking activity,” Bence said. “Strengthened reporting requirements and clear legislative direction will help our industry continue working alongside law enforcement and community partners.”
