Warning: Graphic content A Hamilton man is facing more than 130 charges for allegedly paying for and directing a livestream of children being sexually abused in the Philippines. At a news conference on Wednesday, investigators with Toronto police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) revealed that they identified an individual in Canada in April 2025 who was allegedly involved in the sexual abuse of children overseas. In collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and FINTRAC, they allege the suspect, identified by police as 42-year-old Stephen Tolys, was sending money to a “facilitator” in the Philippines to view and interact with the content online. RCMP Corp. Philippe Gravel explained that in cases like this, the facilitator charges customers from around the world to watch, request or direct the abuse of children in “real time.” “What’s more, these facilitators are often family members or other trusted individuals close to the victims. They exploit vulnerable children for financial gain. What we’re talking about is not a victimless crime; it is the repeated sexual abuse of children for profit. In many cases, it has been described as child rape,” he said. In October 2025, local law enforcement in the Philippines partnered with the Netherlands police to carry out an operation which led to the rescue of four children. The facilitator was also arrested at that time. Police did not reveal the identity of the facilitator or their relationship with the children. Investigators at Wednesday’s news conference wouldn’t reveal the extent of the Dutch police involvement, but said that as a result of that operation Toronto police were able to learn more about the suspect and track him down. The investigation culminated on March 25, 2026, when police executed a search warrant in the area of Kenilworth Avenue North and Cannon Street East in Hamilton. At the time of his arrest, Tolys was found to be in the possession of a quantity of child sexual abuse and exploitation material, police say. Tolys, who police described as a “buyer” in connection with the investigation, was initially charged with six counts related to child sexual abuse. Upon further investigation, police laid an additional 130 charges against Tolys. Investigators said they are concerned that there may be additional victims. They shared a list of usernames that they say Tolys is known to go by on various social media platforms. Those include: “We encourage anyone who may have communicated with the accused using these usernames or anyone with information relevant to this investigation to contact Toronto Police,” Insp. Keri Fernandes said Wednesday. Det. Michael Sabadin said they believe there are at least 50 unnamed victims of Tolys. “These crimes do not have any borders, and we are hoping to identify and locate them.” Tolys is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on July 31. Ford says Canada needs mandatory minimum sentences In a post on social media, Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacted to the news of the arrest. “This is why Canada needs mandatory minimum sentences: so scumbags who abuse children rot behind bars,” he wrote. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the one-year mandatory minimum jail sentences for accessing or possessing child pornography violate the Charter of Rights. Ford called on Justice Minister Sean Fraser at the time to use the notwithstanding clause to overturn the decision, which he rejected. “We need to make sure that these people that are pushing child pornography — it’s disgusting, the most disgusting behaviour ever — they need to be in jail and they can rot in there all (of the) rest of their life as far as I’m concerned,” Ford said at the time. In a 5-4 decision, the top court said although the sentences remove a judge’s discretion to impose sentences other than imprisonment when appropriate. RCMP received 103,000 reports of child sexual exploitation in 24-25 Gravel said that the Philippines is one of several regions in the Indo-Pacific facing “significant” challenges related to transnational child sexual exploitation. He added that, since 2022, the RCMP’s liaison officer in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, has been working closely with international partners to support investigations, identify offenders, rescue victims and disrupt the criminal activity in the region. At home, the RCMP said its National Child Exploitation Crime Centre received more than 103,000 reports and complaints related to suspected online child sexual exploitation in 2024 and 2025. With files from The Canadian Press
