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T here are 22 Fair Trade Towns in Canada, including Toronto, Vancouver, Hudson (Québec), and Guelph. I'd like to see Oakville on the list. Today's unconscious consumption can equate to mistreated workers, rivers and soil full of toxic chemicals, closets full of cheap, throwaway clothing, and land lls full of yesterday's garments. To show how Fair Trade fashion is trendy and ethical, I've organized a fashion show at this year's Maple Grove Fair Trade Sale Sunday, Nov. 20 (Maple Grove United Church-- 346 Maple Grove Drive-- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m). It begins at 1 p.m., and will feature clothing and accessories from our vendors. The Canadian Fair Trade Network (www.cftn. ca) de nes fair trade as "a powerful tool that aims to empower marginalized producers to improve their own living conditions." When producers sell products through fair trade, they receive minimum prices and social premiums to fund education, healthcare, infrastructure, and business-improvement projects in their communities. Third-party veri cation, from Fairtrade International, for instance, is essential for companies and products to be deemed as authentic fair trade. For garment workers like Nazma Akter, who has worked full-time in a Bangladesh factory since she was 11 years old, it means the difference between being treated as a slave or a human being with rights. All in favour of making Oakville a fair trade town My View Shelly Sanders Oakville resident/author 25 | Thursday, November 3, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com When people are willing to spend a little more and purchase fewer things, there will be fewer toxic chemicals destroying our water and soil, and land lls won't be full of yesterday's clothing. If you'd like to see Oakville recognized as a Fair Trade Town, please write to your local of cials, or e-mail me at shelly@shellysanders.com. For more information about Fair Trade, visit www.fairtrade.ca and https://www.facebook. com/MapleGroveFairtradeSale/ Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporter in the world. It has the lowest minimum wage of USD$68 a month, and gained worldwide attention when garment factory, Rana Plaza, collapsed in 2013. While changes have occurred, Nazma believes much more can be done. In an interview with Fairtrade International, on Sept. 30, 2016, Nazma was reported saying that in the male-dominated garment industry, women are still treated as cheap labour and subject to unfair labour practices, but demand a living wage. A Fairtrade Textile Standard was launched in March. It enables workers to improve working conditions collectively, and is the rst standard in the industry to require wages be paid within a set time period. It also requires brands to commit to fair and long-term sourcing practices in their contracts to make wage increases feasible. But implementing and enforcing this standard will not be easy. Vogue 1471 Home & Holiday Sale! save up to off our egular prices regular and mor more, on select selected merchandise merchandise Formal Glitz Collection of Entire Regular* Stock *some exclusions our regular price apply. 50% off Drapery Panels % 0 5 Sale in effect Nov.3-30/16, on selected merchandise. See flyer for details! Coatings & Jacketings Poncho Perfection 50-60% off our regular price Holiday Fashion Fabrics 40-50% off our regular price Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! www.fabricland.ca MISSISSAUGA: 3015 WINSTON CHURCHILL BLVD. (N.W. side @ Dundas) 905-828-9966 BURLINGTON: 3515 FAIRVIEW ST. 905-639-2516 O Thursdays 1:00 ­ 6:30 pm P E Saturdays 10:30 am ­ 1:30 pm N Sundays 10:00 am ­ 12:00 pm Homemade Ukrainian Food terrace take-away all prepared and easy to warm up 905.337.1400 ext. 116 orders@terracetakeaway.ca cafe@sjucc.ca www.terracetakeaway.ca St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church 300 River Oaks Blvd. East (at Trafalgar) Oakville ON