OPP Project Brace: 17 charged in child exploitation probe
OPP Project Brace: 17 charged, 55 offences in a province-wide online child sexual exploitation probe. 424 devices seized. Windsor Police among partners. No Windsor-Essex accused on OPP's list. Charges not proven in court. Info: local police or Cybertip.ca
Topics: Public safety
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Seventeen people have been arrested and charged with a combined 55 criminal offences in a province-wide Ontario Provincial Police child sexual exploitation investigation known as Project Brace, the OPP said in a news release Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.
What police say
Fifteen police services taking part in the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet worked with the OPP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit on proactive online investigations. Police say they targeted people accused of making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
OPP listed these results:
17 people arrested
55 charges laid
424 electronic devices seized
The investigation did not directly identify any victims, police said. Investigators started 23 cases that remain active.
Local angle
Windsor Police Service is listed among the Provincial Strategy's 25 municipal partners. WindsorNewsToday reported that Windsor and Chatham-Kent police were among the services that helped.
None of the people named in the OPP addendum of charged persons is listed as living in Windsor or Essex County. Residences released by OPP include places such as Toronto, Kingston, Milton, Barrie, Brockville and Niagara Falls. Some accused cannot be identified because of a court-issued publication ban.
The charges have not been proven in court.
What police are asking
OPP Detective Staff Sergeant Tara Clark, Provincial Strategy Coordinator, said online offenders are using social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps and peer-to-peer networks, and that stopping the crimes takes families, communities, industry and police working together.
Police partners say reports of online child sexual exploitation have risen in recent years. OPP points people to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for safety information.
Anyone with information about child sexual exploitation should contact their local police or report it to Cybertip.ca.
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