Ontario Community Newspapers

Oakville Beaver, 23 Jan 2015, p. 13

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An Oakville-based anti-human trafficking group will be hosting a forum Thursday, Jan. 29. The event, `Buying Sex is Not a Sport', is being hosted by 4:ONE at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre. The featured speaker will be Katarina MacLeod, a former sex trade worker who now works with police to help girls and women escape prostitution. MacLeod was recruited as a prostitute at 21 and suffered physical and sexual abuse, drug addiction and exploitation during 17 years in the sex industry. During that time she encountered children as young as 12-years-old working as prostitutes. 4:ONE to host Buying Sex is Not a Sport forum on Jan. 29 Jennifer Potter, co-founder of the Oakvillebased 4:ONE, has seen MacLeod speak before and said she delivers a powerful presentation. "She doesn't hold much back," Potter said. "She's willing to share her story and the pain it caused. She had a very painful past, but it's also a story of hope because she's taken that pain and is using it to help others." The panel of experts will also include members of local and regional police forces as well as representatives of SAVIS, The Freedom Project, Helping Hands and U-R Home. Potter said the forum is especially appropriate with the Pan Am Games headed to Halton, as large events create a higher demand for paying for sex. "You get an increase of people coming to the city in huge numbers and when you have that influx of people, and the anonymity of being in a different country, it increases the demand and the trafficking of women and men to meet that demand," Potter said. "This is exposing the underbelly of an event like this and saying, `what steps can we take or what can we do as preventative measures to decrease that demand.'" There will be a question-and-answer session following the presentations. The event runs 7-9 p.m. at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Rd. 13 | Friday, January 23, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Life is complicated. We help make things a little easier. Simplify your life. Whether you're planning for yourself or a loved one, make just one call for all funeral, reception, cemetery and cremation arrangements. R0012976206 Come see why we're Oakville's best water provider. Our prices haven't changed in 10 years while maintaining a superior level of quality. Receive 50 FREE litres of U Fill Water and we'll also give you a FREE jug to transport your water! At your time of need or planning ahead, call: 905-257-1100 Look for us on Facebook glenoaks.ca NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery by Arbor Memorial 2251 WESTOAK TRAIL BLVD., UNIT#1 (905) 257.9257 · Email: oakvillewaterdepot@yahoo.ca 3164 Ninth Line (403 & Dundas St.), Miss./Oakville, ON Arbor Memorial Inc. Family Owned. Proudly Canadian. BAEU LER APPRO ED

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