Queer Ontario is very concerned about the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) policing initiative of the downtown eastside scheduled to coincide with the World Pride (WP) event. As many visitors to Toronto are expected during this major tourism event, we are concerned that the police are stepping up their intervention and surveillance of marginalized and vulnerable downtown eastside residents. Read more…

Celebrate Queer Ontario’s 5th Anniversary at this public Forum on Sex Work   Read more…

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Below is Queer Ontario’s submission to the Department of Justice (Canada), which has been seeking public input on so-called prostitution-related offences in Canada since February 17, 2014.
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This public consultation process was set up after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously last year to strike down the laws that prohibit individuals from operating brothels, living on the avails of prostitution [sic], and communicating for the purposes of prostitution [sic], on the basis that they were too broad and effectively endangered the health, safety and lives of sex workers. The Supreme Court gave the Government of Canada one year to develop new laws to regulate prostitution-related offences, should it decide to do so –– and it has.
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The Department of Justice’s consultation questionnaire closes on March 17, 2014, and can be filled out at: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cons/curr-cours/proscons-conspros/index.html.
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A read-only version of Queer Ontario’s submission has been provided below.  It is followed by a downloadable version.
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Downloadable version: Queer Ontario Department of Justice Submission re Sex Work 
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