Whitby man among 17 charged in OPP child sexual exploitation probe

Ontario Provincial Police say 17 people are facing 55 charges after a child sexual exploitation investigation dubbed Project Brace, police said Monday.

The investigation involved 15 police services, including Durham and Toronto police, working with the OPP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit as part of the provincial strategy to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation on the internet, police said. Investigators targeted people making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.

Police seized 424 electronic devices during the investigation, police said. The investigation did not directly identify any victims, but 23 cases remain active.

A 52-year-old man from Whitby was charged with two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, as well as possession of child sexual abuse material for the purpose of transmitting, police said. He was held in custody for a court appearance in Oshawa on a date to be determined. He was not named, and police said some of those arrested cannot be named because of a court-issued publication ban.

Police said the suspects were from Durham and Halton regions, Simcoe County and the Ottawa Valley. Police said the investigation was launched in response to a significant increase in reports of online child exploitation, and parents should remain vigilant about their children's online activity.

Anyone with information related to child sexual exploitation should contact their local police or report it to cybertip.ca, police said.

The people charged have not been convicted, and the allegations have yet to be proven in court.