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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, M arch 3, 2 0 1 7 | 6 Editorial Fighting back Halton Regional Police Service received $38,400 from the Province to combat human trafficking in 2011. Since, we'v e carried stories quoting Det. Martin Dick of the Halton Regional Police Service Human Trafficking and Vice Unit, set up in 2013. He told a conference about human trafficking at Sheridan College, that on one day, 45 females were selling sex at locations along the QEW between Trafalgar Road and Guelph Line. Reports of human trafficking charges became more fre quent -- along with `rescues' of young teens, residents of Oakville and Burlington. Dick has also admitted fighting tears when a victim would not leave. News that the new Halton Collaborative Against Hu man Trafficking (HCAHT) pilot project has a plan to of fer `wrap-around help' to victims of human trafficking is injecting hope into a very bad story. We, as a community, can also help. Like poverty, hu man trafficking is an issue that touches affluent Oakville. Perhaps more so because there's affluence -- sometimes used to support this illegal traffic. We hope efforts to combat human trafficking will help victims and increase community knowledge of this crime to prevent more girls and women from being victimized. "Parents need to know that their children are at risk," Dick told the Oakville Beaver. Police say most human trafficking victims encountered are Canadian women and girls. That message needs to be communicated. "If we don't educate our youth, if we don't educate the parents, if we don't educate the public, police officers, medical practitioners, school teachers, social work ers, then we can't have a positive effect. With education comes knowledge and with knowledge comes power," said Dick, noting officers have been adding to this educa tion through presentations at local high schools. Police say human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry and one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world -- second only to the illegal drug trade. Halton is a region ripe for sexual trafficking. Its prox imity to major highways allows quick access to many towns to move victims around to clients. The police unit is working with the local tourism industry to increase awareness in order to combat the crime. "There's a shift in the region from selling drugs to sell ing (underage) girls.... The average age of recruitment into the sex trade in Canada is 13," says Dick. And sex traffickers -- pimps, thugs, con artists, lowlifes brainwashers, abusers, losers -- can make big bucks. "You can cut a drug but you can only sell a kilo(gram) of cocaine once. If you have a female sex worker, you can sell her up to 12 times a day for 365 days a year, and then you can `buy' another one," he said ruefully. Victims can not be so rapidly healed. With little organized crime in this area, police say the area is "somewhat of a safe haven" for the traffickers. But this is our home, and our youths and it should be our safe haven. If the best tool at our disposal is knowl edge, we need to use it. After all, a little knowledge can go a long way. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited fo r clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters m ust contain the name, address and phone num ber of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5 0 4 6 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@ oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. "Connected to your Community" 'BE WITH YOU RIGHT AFTER I FINISH THIS C A L L - ,/ 5046 Mainway Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classified Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 55 | Number 17 The Oakville Beaver is a division of ·* m etrolandm edia · * C o n n e c te d t o y o u r c o m m u n ity ® Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. NEIL OLIVER Vice -President and Group Publisher of Metroland West KELLY MONTAGUE Regional General Manager DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Somehow, people like Mark are sTill clueless about `Dis+rac+ed Driving' laws LORI ANN GZOVDANOVIC Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager M yV iew CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Aaa credit rating keeps Halton on top ^pb Beaver* Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association F or the 29th consecutive year, Moody's Inves tors Service has awarded its highest credit rating to Halton Region. The Aaa credit rating reflects one of Council's most important priorities: ensuring value for tax payers' dollars. This distinction ranks Halton at the top end of Canadian municipalities, indicating an expecta tion of consistent and positive financial outcomes for the years ahead. The Aaa rating is the result of an extensive third-party analysis of our financial reports, plans and practices. Moody's credit opinion cites Halton's strong governance and prudent fiscal policy, as well as its forward-looking operating and capital plans, as the basis of its decision. The Region's Aaa credit rating provides Halton and its local municipalities with access to the best financing rates available for infrastructure projects and other large initiatives. This means we can continue to make major in- Gary Carr Halton Region Chair Canadian Community Newspapers Association LocalMedia Proud Official Media Sponsor For: vestments at the lowest possible long-term costs, maximizing the community impact of every dol lar we invest in the future. With a $4.1 billion 10-year capital plan now underway, this rating is essential to maintaining Halton's strong long-term financial position. Our financial policies and principles allow us to maintain or enhance our high-quality services while keeping property taxes low. Moody's report on Halton's financial position highlights the following credit strengths: · strong operating budgetary results, supported J L \_ > l Ontario Press Council Defending principles to inspire public trust see Strong on p.7 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event o f a typographical error, that portion o f advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance o f the advertise ment will be paid for at the applicable rate. 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