winnipeggers, we love ya but.....
the laws ARE going to fall. i have read all testimony from all sides and testified myself. everyone agrees, the current legal frame work is not working. abolitionists are trying to promote the swedish model- criminalize consumers and business owners- but it is not a matter for the court to decide what new laws to employ, only to determine if current laws cause harm- an act of parliament will be required to implement what ever legal frame work is accepted/adopted. thus the reason we are working so hard towards self governance...
www.wccsip.ca
it falls to us all to take control or mainstream community will once again impose what they think is right...in this case sweden.....i, as a worker, am fighting to prevent YOU, customers from being at risk. in sweden prices went through the roof (good for workers...), and men were/are subjected to public humiliation and a criminal record. street trade went up exponentialy and trafficking is more difficult to recognize as it is so far underground. a disaster as far as safety for workers.
it seems you all feel as if there is nothing we can do, not true. take part. remain confidential but take part. add your voice to change instead of being so fatalistic.
in 6 years at $20 and hour/ 20 hours a week(i put in closer to 10 hs a day), i estimate i have donated $120,000.00 to our cause. please, we must try to be more proactive or we will be facing a disaster for us all in coming years.
as far as the infamous raid, no children were ever present during work time, no children were harmed in anyway.
no actions, ie media circus, protesting, any advocacy at all- can be taken by parties in question as it will affect custody of their children.
try to imagine what it must feel like to be publically humiliated and have your children stripped away for merely providing a service. we should be trying to support winnipeg sex industry community members instead of gossiping and planning ways to isolate and exclude them
no lists of clients were found. i spoke to the only 2 pooners affected and neither are facing charges.
WeSWEAR is a new group arising from the aftermath and are a local of our national industry association CAEC. see wccsip website- industry association.
i would encourage you all to support WeSWEAR and add your voice to change- your confidentiality is guaranteed....
my most recent update from osgood regarding supreme court;
As well, I think an update on the status of the case is in order. You may have heard that a couple of Christian groups, combined with REAL Women Canada, were granted intervenor status in the case. While we opposed their motion, they really aren't a big deal. They'll only get an hour or two at the end of the case to say their piece about Christian values and morality. Their position is not relevant to our argument that the current laws relating to prostitution are putting sex workers in a situation of danger. Hopefully Alan will be able to convince the judge to ignore the group's distracting and irrelevant position.
All of the materials in the case have been filed, save for the Christian group's factum. The entire record, including all of your affidavits and transcripts from cross-examinations, comprises 86 volumes or 8 boxes of material. The case is set to go forward on Tuesday, October 6 (next week!) in Toronto. Our arguments will take the first two days. The Attorney General of Canada will then get two days to present it's arguments. We will then return to court on Monday, October 19 so that the Attorney General of Ontario and the new intervenors can present their arguments. We will then get a brief period of time to present any sort of reply that we may have. At that point, the judge, who we have learned is Justice Susan Himel, will take time to wade through everything and come up with a decision. This will likely take several months. I'll keep you all posted when we hear anything.
I'd like to thank you all for everything you have done to help us along the way. None of this would have been possible without each and every one of you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, etc. in the future.
from terri jean........
Dear Friends,
Please find attached to your email a Thank You Card from all of us to all of you. We couldn’t have made it without you. Please print it out and save it for your scrapbook. Love Always - T.J. Bedford.
It is with sincere thanks and gratitude that I write to express our appreciation for your support and generosity that you have shown to the “Safe Haven Initiative”. We have been at it for over a year now and time has gone by quickly mostly due to the strong work ethics of Professor Alan Young and his volunteer law students. We are proud to have this opportunity to confront the issues, defend the women who work in the sex trade industry and to help save lives.
This experience has taught us how urgent the need is to improve the working conditions of prostitutes especially health and safety concerns. We are proud of the progress we have made thus far. It is my pleasure to be a part of this experience. 18 months is a long time to prepare to for a case, but knowing that there are lives at stake makes our job that more rewarding, and knowing that there are other like minded friends that still care and so generously support us makes it that much easier. Again thank you for your generosity and unending support.
Sincerely,
Terri-Jean Bedford & Professor Alan Young
*The Safe Haven Initiative
Constitutional Challenge to Canada’s Prostitution Laws
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Tuesday Oct.6th to Friday Oct.9th
& Monday Oct.19th 2009
361 University Avenue, Toronto Ontario
the laws ARE going to fall. i have read all testimony from all sides and testified myself. everyone agrees, the current legal frame work is not working. abolitionists are trying to promote the swedish model- criminalize consumers and business owners- but it is not a matter for the court to decide what new laws to employ, only to determine if current laws cause harm- an act of parliament will be required to implement what ever legal frame work is accepted/adopted. thus the reason we are working so hard towards self governance...
www.wccsip.ca
it falls to us all to take control or mainstream community will once again impose what they think is right...in this case sweden.....i, as a worker, am fighting to prevent YOU, customers from being at risk. in sweden prices went through the roof (good for workers...), and men were/are subjected to public humiliation and a criminal record. street trade went up exponentialy and trafficking is more difficult to recognize as it is so far underground. a disaster as far as safety for workers.
it seems you all feel as if there is nothing we can do, not true. take part. remain confidential but take part. add your voice to change instead of being so fatalistic.
in 6 years at $20 and hour/ 20 hours a week(i put in closer to 10 hs a day), i estimate i have donated $120,000.00 to our cause. please, we must try to be more proactive or we will be facing a disaster for us all in coming years.
as far as the infamous raid, no children were ever present during work time, no children were harmed in anyway.
no actions, ie media circus, protesting, any advocacy at all- can be taken by parties in question as it will affect custody of their children.
try to imagine what it must feel like to be publically humiliated and have your children stripped away for merely providing a service. we should be trying to support winnipeg sex industry community members instead of gossiping and planning ways to isolate and exclude them
no lists of clients were found. i spoke to the only 2 pooners affected and neither are facing charges.
WeSWEAR is a new group arising from the aftermath and are a local of our national industry association CAEC. see wccsip website- industry association.
i would encourage you all to support WeSWEAR and add your voice to change- your confidentiality is guaranteed....
my most recent update from osgood regarding supreme court;
As well, I think an update on the status of the case is in order. You may have heard that a couple of Christian groups, combined with REAL Women Canada, were granted intervenor status in the case. While we opposed their motion, they really aren't a big deal. They'll only get an hour or two at the end of the case to say their piece about Christian values and morality. Their position is not relevant to our argument that the current laws relating to prostitution are putting sex workers in a situation of danger. Hopefully Alan will be able to convince the judge to ignore the group's distracting and irrelevant position.
All of the materials in the case have been filed, save for the Christian group's factum. The entire record, including all of your affidavits and transcripts from cross-examinations, comprises 86 volumes or 8 boxes of material. The case is set to go forward on Tuesday, October 6 (next week!) in Toronto. Our arguments will take the first two days. The Attorney General of Canada will then get two days to present it's arguments. We will then return to court on Monday, October 19 so that the Attorney General of Ontario and the new intervenors can present their arguments. We will then get a brief period of time to present any sort of reply that we may have. At that point, the judge, who we have learned is Justice Susan Himel, will take time to wade through everything and come up with a decision. This will likely take several months. I'll keep you all posted when we hear anything.
I'd like to thank you all for everything you have done to help us along the way. None of this would have been possible without each and every one of you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, etc. in the future.
from terri jean........
Dear Friends,
Please find attached to your email a Thank You Card from all of us to all of you. We couldn’t have made it without you. Please print it out and save it for your scrapbook. Love Always - T.J. Bedford.
It is with sincere thanks and gratitude that I write to express our appreciation for your support and generosity that you have shown to the “Safe Haven Initiative”. We have been at it for over a year now and time has gone by quickly mostly due to the strong work ethics of Professor Alan Young and his volunteer law students. We are proud to have this opportunity to confront the issues, defend the women who work in the sex trade industry and to help save lives.
This experience has taught us how urgent the need is to improve the working conditions of prostitutes especially health and safety concerns. We are proud of the progress we have made thus far. It is my pleasure to be a part of this experience. 18 months is a long time to prepare to for a case, but knowing that there are lives at stake makes our job that more rewarding, and knowing that there are other like minded friends that still care and so generously support us makes it that much easier. Again thank you for your generosity and unending support.
Sincerely,
Terri-Jean Bedford & Professor Alan Young
*The Safe Haven Initiative
Constitutional Challenge to Canada’s Prostitution Laws
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Tuesday Oct.6th to Friday Oct.9th
& Monday Oct.19th 2009
361 University Avenue, Toronto Ontario
