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Ottawa police used Grey Cup festivities — with its influx of out-of-town visitors — as a window to help sex-trade workers escape from human trafficking rings.

“This initiative was run during the week of Grey Cup festivities in Ottawa as statistics show prostitution demand increases during large-scale events,” Insp. Jim Elves of the OPS investigative support said in a news release Tuesday.

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“A majority of sex trade workers are trafficked against their will. We work really hard to protect our most vulnerable population

Supt. Chris Renwick said officers visited about a dozen hotels in the city, speaking to about 20 women and one man. Investigators were following up on escort-style advertisements to find the workers and “assess their vulnerability,” he said.

Two of the women were given assistance to leave the city.

While no arrests were made, the inspector said investigations were underway to find the operators of these human trafficking networks. The operation lasted four days.

Anyone with information about human trafficking activity is asked to call the Ottawa police human trafficking unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5005. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa police app.