F R ID A Y FE B R U A R Y 10, 2017 $ 1 .0 0 C O N N E C T E D T O Y O U R C O M M U N IT Y IN S ID E H A L T O N .C O M 3 2 pages Halton's `unfounded' sex assault' rate being questioned by Graeme Frisque Metroland West Media CHEERS TO NEW FRIENDS W agJag Sign up Online WagJag.com Oakville ^ 2017 The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is set to review sex assault cases starting from 2016, in the wake of new statistics claiming the force dismisses almost one in every three sex assault claims as baseless. The data comes from a recent report from the Globe and Mail, which found Halton and Hamilton police clear 30 per cent of sex as sault cases as "unfounded," compared to the national average of 19 per cent (one in five). The Globe report followed a 20-month investigation by the paper and found that comparatively speaking, Halton' s numbers in this regard are far above that of neighbour ing centres like Toronto, which has only a seven per cent unfounded rate. The Globe found data from 2010 to 2014 that indicated, on average, Halton police dropped 64 cases as unfounded each year. Lenore Lukasik-Foss, executive director Black History Month events Sofia Jara Galvan, left, and Anasofia Resendizley, both age 10, represent Mexico during the Multicultural Night hosted by I'Ecole Forest Trail Feb. 4. The evening opened with a First Nations smudging ceremony and featured food from around the world at a multitude of booths. For more photos, see p.14 | Nikki Wesley/Metroland see Halton on p.9 Artscene W ILD CARD! Don't see the service you need? Take up to. W IN T E R O A K V IL L E ^ s p e c Ia l 2 0 % O FF SENIOR DISCOUNT EVERY W E D N E S D A Y E X C L U D IN G D R IV E C L E A N A N D TIR E S 15% W IT H C O U P O N Pa adi no O FF $ 3 0 0 M A X IM U M D IS C O U N T S H U T T L E S T O A N D F R O M B R O N T E G O - T R A IN w w w .o a k v i 1 1e to y o ta .ca