York prof helps decriminalize Ontario prostitution Parts of Canadian prostitution law will be decriminalized in 30 days if the Crown does not appeal effectively By Raymond Kwan Excalibur (York University) TORONTO (CUP) — Alan Young played a pivotal role an Ontario court’s decision to strike down key provisions in Canada’s anti- prostitution laws. Some specific prostitution-related acts were decriminalized by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Sept. 28, including pimping, running brothels and soliciting. Young, a professor at Osgoode Hall law school at York University, represented the prostitutes and, with help from 20 of his students, was able to manage the case mostly for free; the students compiled most of the evidence and convinced prostitutes, academics and community workers to testify. Kendra Stanyon, one of Young’s students involved with the case, said she is very happy with the court’s decision. She said that she was partly motivated to work on the case because the government was ignoring recommendations in reports that could have made prostitution a safe trade. “Almost every report came back saying the same things that we have said in our case now, which is that sex work is made more dangerous when you prevent women from moving indoors,” she said. “The government’s response to the reports was one of inaction and was very frustrating for me,” Stanyon added. In her 131-page report, Justice Susan Himel concluded that prostitutes are exposed to dangers on the street that force them to choose between pursuing their interests and their right to personal safety as protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Crown lawyers have been given 30 days to come up with arguments strong enough to dissuade Justice Himel. The court’s decision sent ripples throughout the political establishment. Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced on Sept. 29 that the government would appeal the decision, adding that prostitution is harmful to individuals and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said his government would support the appeal. Young, however, said he feels the federal government is simply trying to buy time and avoid the issue. “It’s a knee-jerk reaction to every case they lose,” said Young. “If they really care about women in the sex trade, they’d accept the judgment and change the law.” Stanyon argues that the decriminalization of prostitution in other countries like New Zealand has not resulted in an explosion of crime and urges the public not to buy into the government’s claims that Canada will become a haven for sex tourism. “IT] feel that that’s a scare tactic,” said Stanyon. “If you look internationally at other countries that have enacted similar decriminalization and regulatory schemes for prostitution ... they saw no statistically-relevant rise in sex workers or pimps. People weren’t seeking them on the streets or walking around on top of condoms everywhere.” Young also disagrees with the government’s claim. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily such a bad thing, but the reason I don’t agree is because that’s not the Canadian way. You can only create a tourist hotspot if the community accepts it, and I don’t think Canadians are ready for it.” Stanyon added that the public should acknowledge everyone’s right to personal safety. “We’re not encouraging entrance into sex work ... it’s a health and safety issue, and these citizens have every right to operate their business and going about their job in a healthy and safe environment,” said Stanyon. “It’s going to take generations before we see real significant changes in the sex trade, and I don’t know which direction it'll go,” added Young. “This is just opening up the door slightly to allow women a few more options when they pursue their business.” Vancouver to be hit hard by winter cold By Tim Drake, News Editor race yourselves Douglas B College students, fall and winter this year are, according to the Farmer’s Almanac and several other noteworthy sources, poised to deliver the most amounts of snow and rain to the Lower Mainland since 1955. Whereas the Lower Mainland was subjected to a much warmer winter than usual last year (which played havoc with preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics), the upcoming season is predicted to be an entirely different story. British Columbia is forecast for a rare La Nina winter in the coming months, and the weather phenomena could result in even bigger snow dumps then were seen by Vancouverites two years ago in December, where so much snow fell that the city and the province had great difficulty in removing it successfully from the streets. La Nina is a curious weather pattern that occurs when the average ocean surface temperature near the equator in the Eastern- Central Pacific Ocean is colder than the regular average temperature, which generally hovers around three-five degrees Celsius. While it may seem odd that water patterns half a world away around the equator can so dramatically affect what weather we see here in Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland, that is indeed what happens. Colder than average waters drift up to our part of the world and alter our own weather patterns. So begin prepping for the coming blast as soon as possible. The Farmer’s Almanac is estimating that the most intense parts of La Nina, meaning the heaviest snow falls, will be felt by Lower Mainlanders in late December, right around Christmas time. That is to be preceded during the fall months by heavy rains. In fact, at our current pace, the city of Vancouver is in the neighbourhood when it comes to our all time levels of rain fall. Another reason to suspect a La Nina winter is because of the winter we last year, which is now defined as an El Nino winter, or a warmer than average winter season. According to meteorologists, La Nina winters are most likely to strike during the next winter following an El Nino. As the Olympic organizers from last year were painfully aware, that can produce unseasonably warm and dry conditions. While the impending wintery conditions could cause a string of headaches for government officials throughout the province, one very pleased sector of the economy is sure to benefit from the potentially record-breaking snowfalls, the ski and snowboard industry in the surrounding mountains. Because of El Nino last year, the mountains took a massive hit, and had to open amongst slurry and unfeasible conditions during an Olympic year that already robbed many of them of a good portion of their business. A La Nina winter would go a long way to making up for the ravaged profit margins last season.