Over the past 25 years, 193 lives have been tragically lost to the sex trade. On Wednesday, the Saskatoon community gathered to mourn these losses.
More than 100 people attended a solemn memorial vigil and service organized by EGADZ, beginning with speeches at their center before walking through downtown to the Saskatoon Police Station.
Don Meikle, Executive Director of EGADZ, expressed the sorrow felt by many.
“It’s just such a spiral, and their lives are cut short so young. There’s 12-year-old kids who’ve died, and all the way up. When you get involved in the sex trade, especially the street sex trade, your life expectancy isn’t very long,” Meikle said.
Among those present was Mike Scott, who has lost several sisters to fentanyl overdoses while they were involved in the trade. Scott shared his grief and urged others to remember the humanity of those affected.
“It’s the fentanyl that’s killed …