What’s Current: Toronto police sergeant on trial for sexually assaulting two women in his police car

In Toronto, two women testified against Christopher Heard, a police sergeant, who is accused of sexually assaulting the women in his police car after offering them rides home. Heard took the stand the following day and testified that they were drunk and the assaults never happened.

Canadian Senate ethics committee recommends expulsion of Don Meredith because he “abused his privileged position of authority” to lure a 16 year old girl into a sexual relationship.

Chinese woman who was assaulted on an escalator turned around, slapped her attacker, and dragged him straight to the cops.

Backpage.com is where police in Ontario say they go to find women and girls who are being pimped and trafficked. The U.S. has taken legal action against the site. Why hasn’t Canada?

“The Dallas-based company operates in 97 countries and gets most of its revenue from adult ads. In the United States, it is the subject of lawsuits, and its executives are also facing criminal charges for pimping and money laundering. The charges filed by California’s Attorney General allege that in seven of the 13 pimping counts the victims are children.

In January, after a U.S. Senate inquiry published scathing findings, among them that the company ‘knowingly concealed evidence of criminality’… Not so in Canada, where there has been little or no legal action and tepid federal government response. The ads continue to be uploaded hourly. Among the descriptions: ‘Fresh,’ ‘Young,’ ‘New in town,’ ‘Just off the plane,’ ‘Available 24/7,’ ‘Barely legal,’ ‘Looks underage,’ ‘Hot young angel – do whatever u want.’”

Lisa Steacy

Lisa Steacy is an Assistant Editor at Feminist Current. She has a B.A. in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Toronto. However, the women she met in her five years as a frontline worker and collective member with Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter deserve almost all of the credit for her feminist education. She lives in Vancouver with her partner and their cats.