Decrim Forum Brings Out 120+ People

Thank you to everyone involved for a truly amazing afternoon at the Ambrosia Centre in conversation with supporters of decriminalizing Canada’s adult, consensual sex industry. A big thanks to our eight expert panelists, but also to the audience, whose informed questions and comments in the second part of the event were as interesting as everything we heard on stage! Here’s hoping we can hold more of these kinds of events in the future, as community conversations around sex work are so important in dispelling the myths and misconceptions around the industry.
Special thanks to the following panelists: Natasha Potvin, Sarah Hunt, Gillian Calder, Catherine Healy, Todd Wellman, Randall Garrison, Chris Atchison and Lisa Ordell. What a team!
And many thanks to our sponsors for the event: Cathy Travis and Victoria Home Staging, which donated a living room set for the stage that really set a comfy, conversational tone; Fol Epi, Crumsby’s Cupcakes and Silk Road Tea, which donated snacks and tea for the guests; Steve Barrie Music, which helped us to figure out audio needs and provided a volunteer sound person for the event; John Carswell, who volunteered to videotape the entire event (link coming soon); AIDS Vancouver Island, which hosted a private lunch for Catherine Healy and local sex workers before the event; Long and McQuade, which rented us the audio equipment but forgave a $130 “hold” fee and saved us some money; and photographer Sara Hembree, who donated her time to photograph the event.
And of course, much thanks to the Ambrosia Centre for putting up with the usual mad scrambling of an event, and to our great organizing committee. See you next time!

City of Victoria unanimously votes to support a Motion_Urging Federal Government to Cease Further Action on Bill C36

As the fight continues to stop Bill C-36 from causing greater harm to sex workers across the country, we are honoured to have received some wonderful letters of support from organizations in our community. These letters have gone to the Canadian Senate as evidence that PEERS most definitely doesn’t stand alone in our opposition to Bill C36. The Senate committee hearings begin tomorrow in Ottawa. Thank you to the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre,  AIDS Vancouver Island and the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research at the University of Victoria. Please read the letters at the links here.

Letter of Support PEERS – Victoria Sexual Assault

Centre Letter of Support PEERS Victoria – AIDS Vancouver Island

Support Letter PEERS – Centre for Aboriginal Health Research, University of Victoria