Exploitation, not bad choices.
Across Ontario, Black boys and young men are going missing. Many have been drawn into the “Out of Town” (OT) pipeline. In this scheme, organized crime networks in the GTA recruit youth, often aged 13 to 18, and move them to Northern Ontario communities such as Thunder Bay, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie to sell drugs. The adults at the top stay protected, and the young people face the danger, the criminal charges and the time in custody.
Missing Black Boys is a community safety initiative led by YAAACE. It draws on more than 100 years of combined experience in youth justice, education and community safety. It treats the crisis as a pattern of predatory exploitation, not as a string of bad choices by individual youth. That exploitation feeds on youth unemployment, hiring bias and economic hardship in neighbourhoods like ours.
What We Offer
What it offers
Community intelligence
Our Reliable Disruption Information (RDI) report, Ontario's Lost Boys, explains how recruitment works, the language used on “the road,” and how trap houses operate. It is free to share with parents, educators, youth workers and policymakers.
Support for parents
Practical guidance on spotting the warning signs of OT involvement and keeping communication open at home without judgment.
Disruption and intervention
YAAACE Violence Disruption Workers watch for online recruitment and step in early, including with youth caught up in banking fraud schemes.
Coordinated response
We work with partners including Probation, TCHC, TPS, TDSB and TCDSB to share information on recruitment trends in Northwest Toronto.
Real alternatives
We connect youth to legitimate training and employment pathways through YAAACE's labour market programs, so a real career replaces the pull of “quick money.”
Employment & Training
Free to share · 2026
Reliable Disruption Information (RDI) Volume 4: “Ontario’s Lost Boys” (PDF, opens in a new tab)
For parents, educators, youth workers and policymakers.
Read the reportOur Goal
The change we are working towards.
We want an Ontario where no Black boy is treated as disposable and no family has to wonder where their son has gone. To get there, we are pushing for:
- 01
Stronger supports for families, including parent coaching and culturally appropriate trauma counselling for youth who return home.
- 02
Financial literacy programs built for Gen Z, and a “Restorative Banking” pathway for youth exploited through fraud.
- 03
New laws that make it a standalone offence for an adult to recruit a minor into crime. Pennsylvania's Corruption of Minors statute is one model.
- 04
Long-term prevention that removes the conditions recruiters exploit by opening real doors to education and work.
Get in Touch
Questions about Missing Black Boys?