Most trafficking in Canada doesn’t begin with abduction. It begins with trust.

In Episode 34, we examine Justice Canada’s Finding Our Voices report alongside 2024 national data to understand how exploitation actually starts, why minors are most vulnerable, and what survivors say still needs to change.

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Buffer Music: Minor Blues Ballad by Sound Garage

Episode Notes

Primary Sources:

• Justice Canada (2023). Finding Our Voices: Lived Experiences in Human Trafficking
• Statistics Canada (2024). Police-reported human trafficking data (Juristat)

Regional & National Reporting:

• CBC News (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Niagara coverage)
• Global News (National human trafficking reporting and hotline data)
• Halifax CityNews
• Toronto CityNews
• Niagara Regional Police reporting

If you or someone you know may be experiencing trafficking, the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-833-900-1010.

On February 10, 2026, the small town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia became the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in modern Canadian history. Eight victims were killed. Dozens more were injured. The suspect also died at the scene.

In Episode 33, we follow the confirmed timeline — from the residence where the violence began to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School — and examine what RCMP have publicly verified about prior police contact, including mental health apprehensions and firearms that were seized and later returned.

This is a documentary-style breakdown of what is confirmed, what remains unknown, and why questions about intervention and process now matter.

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Episode Notes

Official RCMP Releases RCMP (Feb. 10–13, 2026) – Emergency alert, victim confirmation, investigative updates https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/tumbler-ridge/news/2026/02/4350182 https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/tumbler-ridge/news/2026/02/4350239 https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/tumbler-ridge/news/2026/02/4350292

National Reporting & Timeline Reuters – Federal response and confirmed details https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/carney-plans-visit-tumbler-ridge-canada-grieves-mass-shooting-2026-02-12/

BBC News – Vigil coverage and national response https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde4kdr2z6do

CityNews / Canadian Press – Timeline of events https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/02/11/timeline-how-tumbler-ridge-shootings-unfolded/

Firearms & Prior Contact Reporting CTV News (Judy Trinh) – Firearms seizure and return questions [Insert CTV link]

Vancouver CityNews – Online activity under investigation https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/02/14/tumbler-ridge-school-shooting-suspect-online-violence/

In June 2011, Cindy Gladue, a 36-year-old Indigenous woman from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, died in an Edmonton hotel room after suffering a catastrophic injury.

The physical facts of her death were never in dispute. What followed was a legal battle over how Canadian law defines consent, serious bodily harm, and criminal responsibility.

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New episodes of Northern Dark are released weekly.

Episode Notes

Primary Court Records

• Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench — R. v. Barton (2015 trial decision)
• Alberta Court of Appeal — R. v. Barton (2017)
• Supreme Court of Canada — R. v. Barton, 2019 SCC 33

Medical & Investigative Record

• Medical Examiner findings presented at trial
• Edmonton Police Service investigation records (as referenced in court decisions)

Contextual & Public Record Sources

• Supreme Court of Canada reasons addressing consent and serious bodily harm
• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (for contextual alignment only; not a case study)