We’ve had an incredible start to the year at #NotInMyCity, with new airport partners, impactful training, and continued growth across the country. From coast to coast, law enforcement, prosecutors, Indigenous leaders, community advocates, and Allies are coming together to help end exploitation and human trafficking. The 2025 Maddison Sessions in Saskatoon exemplified this spirit of collaboration, bringing over 100 law enforcement delegates together to strengthen skills, deepen relationships, and reinforce a unified, “No Borders” approach to this critical issue.
Read on to learn more about this important event and #NotInMyCity’s ongoing efforts.
National Collaboration at the 2025 Maddison Sessions
From April 28 to May 1, 2025, a group of law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, survivor leaders and advocates, including 114 police officers and 8 crown prosectors, gathered in Saskatoon for the third annual Maddison Sessions (TMS) Operational Summit, Canada’s only national law enforcement operational summit dedicated to combating human trafficking. TMS is spearheaded by Canada’s leading human trafficking investigators and is powered by #NotInMyCity (#NIMC). TMS and #NIMC are grateful for the support from the Governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan and other generous partners.
This year’s theme, Moving From Key Learnings to Solutions, reflected both the growth of the Maddison Sessions and the urgent need for tangible action. Over four days, delegates tackled real-world challenges, shared investigative strategies, and strengthened the cross-jurisdictional ‘No Borders’ approach that is becoming the national standard for trafficking investigations.
At the heart of it all is Maddison’s story – she is the namesake of the summit and a beacon of hope for those dedicated to fighting these crimes. Maddison was a young woman who lost her life to trafficking, and her experiences and legacy have shaped the Operational Summit’s guiding North Star: Maddison’s Principle: A commitment to accountability, follow-through, and survivor-centred practice.
Learn more about The Maddison Sessions here.
Amplifying Human Trafficking Awareness
#NotInMyCity launched an annual awareness campaign in January, amplifying 30 days of awareness leading up to National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada on February 22. Airport partners across Canada helped increase awareness with their participation, encouraging the public to stand up to human trafficking and take the free e-learning course. We recently launched the French version of our e-learning course, making it accessible to airports and the general public across Canada.
This year, six new airports have joined #NotInMyCity and adopted our awareness and education program. From the start of 2025, we have welcomed Comox Airport, Kamloops Airport, Prince George Airport, Regina International Airport, St. John Airport and Windsor International Airport.
Building Indigenous Learning and Collaboration
One of #NotInMyCity’s key areas of focus is to identify and action priorities to reduce risk and improve access to services and resources for vulnerable people, with a focus on Indigenous Peoples. In March, #NotInMyCity Founder & CEO Paul Brandt spoke at the Blackfoot Confederacy Justice Symposium hosted by the Tribal Council. The symposium focused on Justice issues, such as Policing, Victim Services, Restorative Justice and Human Trafficking, and was an opportunity to share key learnings and identify opportunities for collaboration.
On Indigenous Languages Day, we launched our human trafficking educational materials in three Indigenous languages – Blackfoot, Plains Cree, and Dene. An advisory committee of Indigenous Elders consulted on the translation of the educational resources, which are crucial in helping to identify potential signs of trafficking in different settings such as schools, hotels, airports, and more.
Learn more about this project here.
Community Engagement
Engaging with community leaders and services is key to addressing human trafficking. Earlier this month, #NotInMyCity founders Paul and Liz Brandt joined Brian McConaghy to celebrate 35 years of Ratanak International. Brian is a global leader in anti-trafficking work and has served on the #NotInMyCity Advisory Board since its inception.
Closer to home, Paul and Liz were invited to speak at Calgary’s Centre Street Church in March.
Presenting on the issue of human trafficking at four gatherings, they were joined by Executive Director Jacquie Meyer of HER Victory along with her colleague Kelsi Wind, as well as
Casandra Diamond, Founder of BridgeNorth from York Region, Ontario. By combining education and awareness with action, together we can end exploitation.
As part of our ongoing community engagement, we put the call out to the community to help put together backpacks full of essential items for HER Victory. Our Allies stepped up to the plate, and we were able to supply 60 new backpacks full of needed items that were given to victims of human trafficking. Thank you to everyone who donated to this important cause!
Kicking Off Another Summer of Seeing Yellow
We’re gearing up for another amazing summer of community awareness and creative fundraising efforts! On April 16, the Marriott Hotel kicked off the season with a new Seeing Yellow Cocktail “Golden Hour” that raises funds for #NotInMyCity. This celebration also launched ticket sales for the Not So Silent Summer event on July 25. Join us for an evening of community, connection and impact with rockin’ tunes, DJ beats, and patio vibes – all in support of #NotInMyCity.
Thank you to the event organizers Morgan, Lyle and Mallory, who have championed this cause and raised $216,500 to date with their fundraiser events.
Get Not Sot Silent Summer Tickets Here
Training Law Enforcement across Alberta
A key call to action for Alberta’s human trafficking response has been that awareness, education, and training programs and protocols currently used in Alberta are coordinated to ensure consistent messaging and a coordinated multidisciplinary response. With generous funding provided by the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Centre to End Trafficking in Persons, #NotInMyCity was proud to work alongside long-time ally number77.org to fund survivor-centred human trafficking training for law enforcement from across Alberta. The training was presented by the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators (IAHTI) with support from ALERT, and hosted at Calgary Police Service Headquarters.
IAHTI provided two training courses. The first course was the “Introduction to Trafficking” course prepared for patrol officers, newer investigators, investigators without human trafficking experience, crime analysts and crown prosecutors. The second course was the “Advanced Human Trafficking Investigation” course, geared for experienced investigators, human trafficking investigators, and crime analysts and crown prosecutors with human trafficking experience.
Thank You Allies
Our work would not be possible without the continued engagement and support of our Allies, partners and donors. To get involved, we encourage you to participate in our Seeing Yellow campaign, attend fundraising events, donate to our cause, and spread the word about our work.
