Blessings on the Grief Journey

adminmis — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:58:05 +0000

Today I am honored to share the reflections of a beautiful cousin on the 20th anniversary of her mother’s premature death.

How bitter sweet to be so graciously remembered.

How inspiring to strive to leave such gift to our own loved ones.

Thank you Breanne Julia.

Today marks twenty years since God welcomed you home.

Twenty years since we said goodbye.

Twenty years of missing you.

Twenty years of learning that love never truly leaves us.

Because of you…

I know unconditional love exits.

I know wisdom runs deeper than the brain.

I know a listening compassionate ear can tend to many of life’s ailments.

I know joy can be found in the simplest moments.

I know strength can exist in quietly speaking your truth.

I know a home can be your sanctuary.

I know surrounding yourself with beauty in never frivolous… it has a way of nourishing the soul.

I know there is love in the meals we prepare, the tables we gather around, and the people we welcome in.

I know the most imperative things in life cannot always be measured by others.

I know you never truly know what someone is carrying by only looking in from the outside.

I know our peace deserves our protection.

I know gentleness is never weakness.

I know faith can carry us through what we cannot yet understand.

I know there is always good worth believing in.

I know presence is one of the greatest gifts we can offer another.

I know healing sometimes begins with simply being with someone.

I know tenderness leaves a lasting legacy.

I know laughter still belongs… especially alongside sorrow.

I know beauty is something we can choose to create.

I know belonging can be cultivated.

I know love lives on.

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August the Missing Month ~ Talk to the Johns

adminmis — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 21:48:49 +0000

So many memories swirl around the month of August. Please click on the memorial box for better focus.

A lady in Germany is writing a book about commercial sexual exploitation and asked if I would consider including a remembrance of Cara. I agreed but what came to mind was the STOP (Sex Trade Offender Program) talk I have been delivering for 28 years now. The following is what I submitted, with local references deleted for a more universal impact.

TALK TO THE JOHNS

Good afternoon gentleman,

I am here today to represent those who have NOT survived sexual exploitation. MANY young women lose their lives every year in the sordid business which exists only because of you, the consumers. I look around this room, as I have many times before, and realize that most of you probably did not INTEND to kill anyone.

Yet the fact remains that a large number of women die each year because of the activity in which you participated. Some die from illnesses or overdose or suicide. Those who are murdered tend to be scorned by society. They are not honored even in their deaths because your cause is not honored. The women who serve you disappear into darkness – and your shame is absorbed and hidden in their deaths.

I am here because my daughter was one of many beautiful young women who became caught up in life on the street and died a violent death. For over 28 years, I have been part of a sad and largely silent community of caring family members who do not understand how our children and grandchildren could be exploited. We understand love, we understand equality and respect; we do NOT understand why so many men in the world demand sexual services in the absence of those values.

The numbers are incomprehensible – over 20 MILLION women and children around the world are coerced or trafficked every year into sexual exploitation. And the reason the numbers are so high is because there are simply not enough women in the world for so-called “consensual” services. That opens the door to exploitation by pimps and traffickers.

As well, society continues to create situations of economic inequality so that disadvantaged citizens are more likely to make desperate choices. Young women are also groomed and taken advantage of by selfish men who take advantage of what looks like easy money, at least for them.

We know from stats that minimally 15% of men are sex buyers and, unfortunately, that percentage is growing with pornography. We know that pornography is destructive because it normalizes objectification and violence in the name of sexual stimulation. Boys who watch porn grow up to have unrealistic expectations about relationships. We also know many children and young adults are abused and trafficked for the production of porn – and so the cycle continues.

I would like YOU to wonder if my daughter could have been someone you met and if YOU could have contributed to the death of someone like her. Her disappearance is still unsolved. Twenty-eight years ago, she was standing on a street corner. Today she would probably have had a cell phone.

It is the most terrible thing imaginable to have a child go missing. The month of August that year became a nightmare for me as time stretched on with no contact. I phoned her friends; her friends phoned me. I phoned the police several times. I made up missing posters and left them with several agencies I thought might have contact with her. As the weeks went by, I found my eyes constantly probing alleys and ditches in search of clues.

In between times I tried to stay sane and carry on my life as usual. That much I was used to because she had been struggling with drugs and mental illness before she disappeared. I used to find her and visit at least once a week – just to keep in touch and to keep a life line open in case there was some way she could return to my world.

As the silence grew during that long month, I began to feel crazy and wondered how long I could survive not knowing where she was or what had happened. I missed the evening news September 1^st about a gruesome discovery. The first I heard about an unidentified body being found was when my radio came on to wake me for work the next morning. I leaped out of bed and grabbed the morning paper.

This is the picture I saw on the front page – four men in white hazmat suits carrying a small white body bag from a field. I called the RCMP with my concerns and carried on to my place of employment – because I didn’t know what else to do. Finally, that evening I saw a small group of people gather on the sidewalk in front of my house and my worst fears were confirmed. My daughter had been identified through her dental records.

Her death was investigated as a murder because of the injuries to her body. To this day, I have been asked not to discuss details because of what the police call “hold back evidence.” She may have been abused by a sadistic customer; or perhaps it was a drug deal gone bad. Apparently the RCMP tried to contact every john who had been on the streets around the time she was missing. You may not realize that you too could still be considered a suspect when another death occurs.

As horrible as my situation was, I am grateful that my daughter was found. I can only imagine the horror of trying to live without knowing – like the families of so many women across Canada. Reality is there have been some very nasty fellows in Edmonton and across Canada the last few decades and there are hundreds of others who are not telling what they know. I can’t imagine how people can live with that kind of secrecy.

Part of my grief is wondering what I could have done differently to prevent my daughter’s death. My gift in her memory is to try to make the world a better place. She was a happy fun-loving little girl who loved horses and riding when she was younger and then make-up and clothes and boys as she grew older.

One of her friends who spoke at her funeral said, “she had a special childlike quality – she was always fun and made us laugh.” Her innocence and love of adventure was the price she paid. She was probably too trusting. She liked excitement and didn’t understand the dangers. People I met on the street would often say to me, “she’s a nice girl. She doesn’t belong here.” I still haven’t figured out who is supposed to belong.

It is important to remember that every so-called “sex worker” is somebody’s daughter, grand-daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend. Sometimes they are also mothers. They all have people who care about them and hope they survive to lead a happier life.

I raised my daughter as a single parent and will always wonder how I could have better handled the situation better when there was just the two of us at home and she was a teenager who wanted to party. I wish that I had argued less and listened more so that even if nothing else had changed, we would both have had more happy memories.

YOU still have a choice. I am always impressed when I see fathers who are kind and supportive and affectionate with their children and I am very sad that my daughter missed that opportunity. This is something you can still give to your family.

I want to believe that good can triumph over evil. That is what keeps me coming back year after year. Part of my resolution is to be more understanding and kind to the adults in my world so they in turn can give love and support to their children.

By treating women as objects for sale, you have already demonstrated a lack of respect for them and for yourselves. My wish for you is that you find a more dignified and honorable way of living and that you learn to become loving and faithful to your own families. My wish is that you are able to look after the children in your life and treat THEM with respect – and have FUN with them – and keep them SAFE from exploitation.

I am encouraged by the evidence that very few of you who attend this course are charged again. However, I am very discouraged that every month or so a whole new group is arrested. I continue to wonder what more needs to happen for the men of the world to appreciate equality, dignity and intimacy in relationships.

Thank you for your attention on behalf of all who have lost their lives as a result of sexual exploitation. I hope my words will make a difference.

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Christmas Letter 2025

adminmis — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 19:29:12 +0000

Happy Holidays!

Dear friends and followers,

Once again the year has gone by quickly and I am unprepared to deal with the technical challenges of a new post after so much time away. Here goes my humble attempt.

2025 was a very busy year for our book. I am still moved by happy memories of our amazing book launch party in November 2024, which can be viewed at www.whenmenbuysex.ca.

Our publishers originally advised that we should be prepared to spend as much time promoting as we did writing – so 2025 marked year two of three.

Here we are again last year with our host Ryan Jespersen, Elder Karen MacKenzie, Her Honor Salma Lakhani, and long-time mentor Kate Quinn.

Last Christmas seems so long ago already. Last year I posted a memorial in the Journal and online for what would have been Cara’s 50th birthday on December 28 and was heartened by many responses.

Christmas festivities are always shadowed by memories of losses, another reminder to keep our loved ones close and to support the less fortunate.

Fifty years ago,

A tiny angel came to earth with broken wings,

Undaunted, she tried to fly as best she could,

Fun-loving, impulsive, not fully aware,

A challenge to all who knew her

To love and protect her and keep her safe.

Many tried. We all failed And she disappeared from our midst.

Her battered body found abandoned, Alone in a field, spirit silenced, murder still unsolved.

And so my work continues with advocacy and education wherever I can. January included a two-day conference on “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives – Strength in Our Stories“ with powerful speakers. In April, Andrea received the Soroptimist Joy Award for her work against sexual exploitation. This was an honor I shared earlier in 2021. Another event was a May 5th gathering at First Peoples House at U of A where Andrea’s film “The Missing, Murdered, and Forgotten“ was shown.

A major highlight of spring was the “Transforming Practices” conference in Red Deer May 28-29. Four survivor educators from Edmonton – Angela, Jenn, Tanya, and Juanita – presented two panels on “Survivors of Sex Trafficking: Resilience and Recovery.“ Andrea and I presented “Commercial Sex: Empowerment or Exploitation? “ My brother and sister-in-law graciously offered to watch our book table and sold 71 books for us!

In September I participated in a Human Trafficking workshop in Saskatoon. In October, Andrea presented at Resource Connect in Edmonton and we both shared our perspectives with Little Warriors.

November took us to Ottawa for an amazing three days on Parliament Hill. Two men groups, Men Ending Trafficking from Ontario and EmpowerMen from Manitoba, sponsored us to gift copies of our book to all (448) sitting MPs and Senators of Canada. Too bad our picture is blurry. UNITED stands for Unifying Nationally to Interrupt Trafficking and Exploitation Demand.

We were mentioned in the House, introduced to the Senate, and hosted for a meet-and-greet by MP Arnold Viersen from Alberta and Senator Julie Miville-Dechene from Quebec, both long-term advocates.

As well as our sponsors, we were joined by authors Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald from Nova Scotia, Michelle Able from the National Council of Canadian Women, and Liz John-West from CEASE Edmonton. Together we provided a concise and informative press release.

Mention must also be made of Winnipeg’s “Journey to Justice” conference late November. International speakers included Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, MMIR workers from Minnesota, and Marcel van der Watt, President of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington, DC. Andrea presented “Behind Closed Doors” with Casandra Diamond, challenging municipalities across Canada whose bylaws circumvent PCEPA legislation and protect consumers of sexual exploitation.

It was inspiring to be in the company of so many brilliant and dedicated people from around the world who share a common vision. Whether learning or educating, my involvement will continue. My hope for 2026 is to recognize more memorial themes and to share in more detail some of the work that is being done to address commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking – in Canada and internationally! Stay tuned.

Very best wishes to all for freedom, equality, respect, and peace in 2026!

The post Christmas Letter 2025 first appeared on .

Happy 50th Birthday in Heaven

adminmis — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 05:14:31 +0000

King, Caralyn Aubrey Dec 28, 1974 ~ Sept 1, 1997 Happy Heavenly Birthday!

Fifty years ago, a tiny angel came to earth with broken wings.

Undaunted she tried to fly as best she could, Fun-loving, impulsive, not fully aware,

A challenge to all who knew her to love and protect her and keep her safe.

Many tried. We all failed and she disappeared from our midst,

her battered body found abandoned, alone in a field, spirit silenced, murder still unsolved.

Rest in peace, precious angel, deeply missed by your mom, family, and friends.

Your legacy a conscience call to all of good faith ~ better services for vulnerable, prevention of exploitation.

www.whenmenbuysex.ca

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Christmas Letter 2024 – Year in Review

adminmis — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 05:42:19 +0000

Best Wishes of the Season!

Dear family and friends,

Seasons greetings everyone! It’s been so long since I posted that I forget how. For some reason, I’m having troubles with my photos so this may be a relatively unadorned missive until I have time for a refresher class.

2024 was another very full year. As always, we are grateful for time spent with loved ones and the blessings we share. We count ourselves fortunate for our many friends and family who, for the most part, enjoy spending time together.

Where to begin? I suppose the biggest challenge for me was that was I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic about this time last year. The first sign was waking up one morning with blurred vision. I had not checked my lab results after my fall medical, nor had my doctor caught the abnormal numbers. I remember feeling foggy for several weeks, not comfortable driving myself, plus not happy with side effects (nausea) from massive doses of Metformin, the standard medical response.

However, all that eventually settled. Over the ensuing months, I chose a dietary approach – less sugar, no processed food, more fiber and protein, intermittent fasting most days from about 6pm to 9-10am the next day (i.e. 15-16 hours) plus electronic monitoring for several months. The good news is that pounds seemed to melt away (about 40 to date) and my numbers stabilized. As a result, I was giving away clothes all summer and fall, shopping on an “as needed” basis to fit my smaller self.

Last year Christmas festivities included a trip to Vermilion, big family Christmas Eve at Suzie and Colin’s, visit with Barb, and supper at Betty and Dale’s on Christmas Day. We started the New Year hosting most of the family for supper.

Super big news was that my and Andrea’s book (started in April 2021 and submitted November 2023) was finally published on January 5, 2024, after multiple edits and proof layouts. We are so happy that When Men Buy Sex: Who Really Pay? is ready for Canada and the world! Our publishers advised that we should be prepared to spend as much time promoting our book as we did writing – and it came to pass that book-related activities demanded considerable attention.

We celebrated out NAIT friends with a January brunch and then Bill’s 84th birthday with a big family supper. So nice that we are all able to get together.

We passed on our annual trip to Mexico this year to attend a March law enforcement conference in Winnipeg on “Prosecuting Demand: Deterring Sex Buying and Exploitation.” Andrea and I both presented at the conference. We had 50 books shipped ahead for our first “launch” of sorts and sold 43! Our trip was complemented with visiting Bill’s family around the area. Special thanks to Barb and Rick for the kind hospitality before we moved to the lovely Fort Garry Hotel. Blizzard conditions prevailed rather than beach weather.

Back in Edmonton, Andrea and I were honored to receive the inaugural Dr. Zohra Husaini Memorial Award for “exceptional dedication to advancing women’s rights. It was particularly gratifying to be recognized by the Human Rights community in a country where the pro-prostitution lobby is often allowed to take center stage.

Back to family, one of our greatest joys of the year was the March 15 arrival of twin great grand-babies Bryer and Bria. They are the first-borns of Bill’s first-born grandson and are the happiest, most entertaining little people. Kudos to their parents for managing so well! We celebrated group birthdays later in the month with a home-made pizza party.

Moving ahead to April, Grandma King turned 99 and agreed to a small party ahead of her 100th. Save the date April 21, 2025, and stand tuned for details. She remains in extended care at the Vermilion Lodge and continues to do reasonably well although her mobility, sight, and hearing are compromised.

Our oldest grand-daughter, Megan, graduated in June and is now at the University of Alberta. The first weekend of June was our second annual family camp at Long Lake hosted by Suzie and Colin at their cabin. Other highlights were regular trips to Vermilion, various awareness events and podcasts, hours of diabetic webinars, regular meetings with my writing group and book club, family dinners, gatherings at River Cree, and lots of summer birthday celebrations.

Bill became to experience usual back pain in May and after a series of further investigations, it was determined he needed to have a kidney removed. Summer and fall seemed full of medical appointments as well as planning our major book-launch for fall. Surgery was scheduled for Oct 21 and successfully completed with no signs of cancer beyond the diseased kidney. We were very grateful for the care provided by Alberta Health Services and deeply appreciate for the care and attention provided by all the children from rides to appointments to extra meals during recovery.

Andrea and I were thrilled and honored to be recognized as Human Rights Champions by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. A lovely ceremony was held Sept 19 at government house with awards presented by the Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. To be in the company of so many esteemed honorees was a further tribute to our cause.

This was followed by our major Nov 3 event Exposing Exploitation: Focus on Demand which included lunch at the Chateau Louis with a four-pronged focus of awareness. We celebrated 10 years of Equality Model legislation (PCEPA) in Canada, the launch of our book, a preview of Andrea’s film Chapter 5: The Missing, Murdered, and Forgotten from the eight-chapter docuseries, Labeled.

Here we are with MC Ryan Jespersen, Elder Karen MacKenzie, the Honourable Salma Lakhani who provided the most inspiring introduction, and long-term supporter Kate Quinn.

A 90-minute livestream program has been saved for posterity and is available for viewing on our website http://whenmenbuysex.ca.

The highlight of our book launch portion was giving opportunity to six of the survivors featured in the book to share their powerful stories. Our event was generally acclaimed an amazing success and livestream is definitely worth watching!

Once again thank you to all who have blessed our lives with friendship and caring.

Although I end the year feeling somewhat depleted, I look forward to continued connections in 2025, albeit more slowly paced.

Very best wishes to all for a peaceful Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.

Take good care of yourselves and each other. Time is precious. Enjoy and be grateful. I hope to blog more regularly in 2025.

Love from Kathy and Bill

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May 5 ~ Red Dress Day

adminmis — Sun, 05 May 2024 15:35:38 +0000

May 5 is Red Dress in Canada, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It is a day to remember the thousands who have disappeared across Canada since colonization. It is a reminder of systemic gender violence, sexual exploitation, and racial discrimination.

The REDress Project began in 2012 by Jamie Black, a Metis artist from Manitoba, as an aesthetic response to the national issue of murdered and missing women. Her original intention was to hang 600 red dresses in public places as a visual reminder of the women no longer with us. Exhibitions were subsequently installed in many places across Canada with a permanent exhibition established 2014 in the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. Jamie saw the color red as a “calling back of the spirits” to give our missing and murdered women a chance to be among us again and to have their voices heard.

Red Dress Day is important because it brings attention to an important conversation, how to ensure that the sacredness of all women is respected in society and how to create equal opportunity for all marginalized populations. It is day to remember those who are no longer with us, and a call to action to ensure that justice is served. Human rights underscore the need for equality and justice. We stand in solidarity with impacted families and communities and seek ways of healing together.

Cara loved red dresses as a little girl ~ or perhaps it was that I enjoyed dressing her in red. She was my special Christmas gift in 1974 and having a new red dress every year was part of our seasonal tradition.

She is fourth from the left, second row from the bottom, in the above collage.

Her story, as readers know, ended in a field near Sherwood Park, where she was found September 1, 1997, by a farmer harvesting his crop. She disappeared from the streets of Edmonton and has been missing a month before she was found.

Cara’s story is among many, an estimated 4000 across Canada, that continue to challenge us with many questions. Not only, how can we prevent further tragedies but what about the many unsolved cases? How can so many murderers and their accomplices remain silent? Surely there are people who know what happened.

Hopefully, those who care are ready to build a more healthy and equitable society.

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March 10 ~ IWD ~ Human Rights Award

adminmis — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 23:13:36 +0000

March 10, 2024: International Women’s Day Celebration

Andrea Heinz and Kathy King were proud recipients of the inaugural Dr. Zohra Husaini Memorial Award presented by the Indo-Canadian Women’s Association for Exceptional Dedication to Advancing Women’s Human Rights.

Eligibility criteria were that recipients must have exhibited exceptional dedication to advancing women’s human rights across various disciplines and fields of endeavor, plus actively contributed to at least one innovative project aimed at furthering women’s human rights.

We are extremely grateful to Kate Quinn, our long time colleague and mentor, for her very generous joint nomination in recognizing our collaborative work over the years and the potential impact of our recently published book. It was and is particularly meaningful that we were recognized in the context of women’s human rights!

Once again, if you have not already done so, please go to our author page @ whenmenbuysex.ca for further information and purchase options.

Our publishers advised last year that we will need to spend as much time promoting our book as we did writing so we anticipate considerable continued activity. Thanks again to the Indo-Canadian Women’s Association for recognizing When Men Buy Sex: Who Really Pays? and for the unexpected and much appreciated launch.

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March 5-6: Winnipeg Conference ~ Prosecuting Demand

adminmis — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 04:13:14 +0000

I was fortunate to attend a law enforcement conference in Winnipeg March 5-6 with co-author Andrea Heinz and keynote speaker April Eve Wiberg. Over and above meeting so many inspiring colleagues, Andrea and I were able to showcase our book and sell copies to other delegates. Here we are with one of our heroes, MP Arnold Viersen from Alberta.

My husband and I travelled early to spend a few days visiting his family. Andrea and April Eve planned to fly out Sun afternoon but all flights were cancelled due to a blizzard. They very bravely rented a car and made the 16-hour drive in hazardous conditions to arrive in time the Monday evening reception. Kudos to them for dedication to the cause!

It was such a pleasure to spend two days in the company of like-mined people from across Canada. The conference was Prosecuting Demand: Deterring Sex Buying and Exploitation. Winnipeg is one of few cities across Canada that takes federal legislation seriously and has harmonized their bylaws to deter sex buying.

Embarrassingly, the city of Edmonton adopted bylaws to protect sex buyers, under the guise of providing “harm reduction” to marginalized and impoverished sellers. No such hypocrisy was present in Winnipeg!

Targeting demand removes the SOURCE of harm from women; it is about disrupting entitlement.

Some highlights of the conference included:

April Eve spoke as a survivor of sexual exploitation and trafficking. She believes that what happened to her could happen to anyone and she speaks to protect the collective sacredness of all people. Her years of childhood abuse left her vulnerable to being groomed into a life of drugs and exploitation. She was trafficked across western Canada, to Vegas, and eventually to New York before being able to escape back to Canada.

Sexual exploitation involves three components: (1) traffickers whose motive is financial, (2) buyers who create the demand, and (3) exploited persons who constitute the “supply.” Without demand, there would be no need for a supply. Efforts to deter men can exist on a continuum of prevention, education, and legal enforcement. Interestingly, while we in Edmonton often champion the success of our STOP: Sex Trade Offender Program in educating men, others felt alternative measures such as “john schools” were too soft.

Joy Smith spoke of her work in helping change federal legislation. She believes human trafficking is Canada’s biggest secret and that we need to join hands as a nation to fight it. Her Joy Smith Foundation promotes awareness to help protect the vulnerable and support for law enforcement and survivors.

Dr. Kari Johnstone is the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combatting Human Trafficking with OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. She reminded us that the Palermo Protocol (endorsed by Canada in 2002) specifies that participating countries have committed to discouraging the demand. This requires a holistic approach including technology, government, awareness. education, legal enforcement, and improved services. The struggle continues.

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Feb 22 ~ National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2024

adminmis — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 06:24:02 +0000

The best possible way we can promote awareness this year is to celebrate our book.

When Men Buy Sex: Who Really Pays? was officially published Jan 5, 2024.

My first copy arrived the end of January, we received a bulk order shortly after , and we have been accepted on consignment at Audreys, an iconic Edmonton book store. Andrea and I are thrilled with the response to date.

Thank you to all who have supported our journey and to all who have endorsed the book. This marks the beginning of our new phase of promotion as we continue to spread the message that commercial sexual exploitation can be prevented.

More information and purchase options are available at http://whenmenbuysex.ca .

In the meantime, let us be kind to ourselves and to each other and strive to build a better world. I will always regret that I was unable to save my daughter from her tragic fate. My gift, in her memory, is to help promote dignity and equality for all vulnerable people. RIP Cara. May your spirit soar and may others enjoy the peace and freedom that you were denied!

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Feb 14: Day of Awareness for MMIWG

adminmis — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 03:59:01 +0000

Hello again dear readers,

February 14, 2024, marks the sixth anniversary of the launch of my website in honor of my daughter, Cara, who died a death that no one deserves.

Her young adult life was marred with drug experimentation and intermittent drug-related psychosis which left her vulnerable to frequent hospitalizations, housing instability, and exploitation.

Her fun-loving and carefree personality, the undaunted spirit she demonstrated in younger years, were all destroyed by so-called “friends” who did not have her best interests at heart and led her into a dark world from which she was unable to escape.

She disappeared from the streets of Edmonton in 1997, her body found a month later in a field outside the city. The mystery of her disappearance and probable murder is still unsolved.

My mission, in her memory, has been to improve services for other vulnerable and voiceless young people and to help create awareness of the harms of commercial sexual exploitation. This is a social plague which lures many victims to unspeakable trauma and premature death. Cara was recognized as MMIW, a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman, part of a national carnage that society is beginning to recognize.

I would also like to remember a former friend and colleague, Danielle Boudreau, whom I met in 2006 when she founded the Memorial Walk for the Missing and Murdered Women of Edmonton. The walk, held on Feb 14, was patterned after a similar event which originated 1992 in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

Danielle and I shared many walks, as well as other adventures and advocacy events in the following years. Unfortunately, she too was taken too soon, at age 48, on Nov 6, 2023. RIP Danielle.

My website and blog were relatively neglected over the last few years when my attention was focused on “the book.” What started out as a Covid project, homebound as we were for almost two years, became a grueling three-year project with co-author Andrea Heinz as we researched, interviewed, collaborated, consulted, restructured, and conducted multiple edits of our developing manuscript. We are thrilled to have When Men Buy Sex: Who Really Pays? officially published as of Jan 5, 2024. Further blogs will serve to help promote the book and track our progress.

Many thanks to new and faithful followers. Further info available at whenmenbuysex.ca.

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