The Calgary Homeless Foundation has taken a leadership role in bringing together an international network dedicated to ending homelessness worldwide.

Foundation CEO Tim Richter instigated a four-day conference in Washington, D.C., that wrapped up Friday with broad participation from premier agencies, policy-makers and researchers from across North America, Europe and Australia.

. . .

"Homelessness as a big problem, emerged in Canada much later than it did in the U.K. or Australia or the United States. So we're kind of behind in our response to homelessness," said Gaetz.

"But by working collaboratively in this international context, we can leapfrog forward and move very quickly to develop effective permanent solutions, because the ideas are out there. There's a plan to move forward."

Gaetz is an active member of the Homeless Hub at 91亚色, the first comprehensive and cross-disciplinary web-based clearinghouse of homelessness research in the world.

He also directs the multi-year Canadian Homelessness Research Network, funded by the (SSHRC).

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile , 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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Justice Susan Himel struck down all three Criminal Code provisions that had been challenged 鈥� communicating for the purposes of prostitution, pimping and operating a common bawdy house.

The decision will take effect in 30 days unless Crown lawyers return with arguments that are strong enough to persuade her to grant a further delay, Judge Himel said.

鈥淲e got everything,鈥� yelped a 91亚色 law professor behind the challenge, of , as he scanned the judgment seconds after it was released. 鈥淲e did it.... Finally, somebody listened.鈥�

Judge Himel specifically rejected a request from the Crown to suspend the effects of her decision for 18 months on the grounds that doing so would force sex-trade workers to continue working under hazardous conditions. She said the 30-day delay gives the Crown one last chance to persuade her that she should suspend her judgment.

Young said that, in light of how uncompromising Judge Himel鈥檚 findings were, the Crown faces a tough uphill battle in obtaining an additional stay. 鈥淚n 30 days, the ruling kicks in and people can start growing their businesses,鈥� he said.

Regardless of whether or not the decision is appealed, it is likely to plunge Parliament back into a divisive debate over criminalizing the operation of an activity that is itself perfectly legal.

Young warned the press and public not to fall for an inevitable onslaught of misinformation and scare stories that government officials will issue as it bids to prop up the law. 鈥淭his was a big bite out of the heart of government,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey are going to feel this one. I don鈥檛 know what this means now; whether or not we will see five-storey brothels like the ones in Germany.鈥�

However, Young also said that the public need not fear that prostitutes and pimps are about to run amok in their communities. Nor, he said, should people allow any distaste they may have for prostitution to cloud the central issue in the case. 鈥淭his case is all about protecting the security and safety of people working in the sex trade, regardless of what you think of sex-trade work,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have had a moral aversion to the sex trade for hundreds of years, but any time you can do something that increases peoples鈥� safety, you have done something good.鈥�

Both sides in the case spent years amassing a vast body of international evidence, including dozens of witnesses.

Several cities 鈥� including Toronto, Victoria, Windsor, Calgary and Edmonton 鈥� charge fees to license body-rub establishments despite the general understanding that many sell sexual services.

Young ridiculed them on Tuesday for hypocritically reaping licensing fees while pretending not to know that they are fronts for prostitution. 鈥淔or a decade, they have been charging exorbitant licensing fees for rub-and-tugs,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow, at least we won鈥檛 have to charge them with living off the avails.鈥�

Young was also interviewed in the Globe about the Pickton trial context for this challenge Sept 29:

A historic challenge to the country鈥檚 prostitution laws would likely have failed without the backdrop of serial killer Robert Pickton鈥檚 murderous activities, according to the lawyer behind the case.

Osgoode Professor Alan Young said Tuesday that he purposely delayed his challenge until after the Pickton trial because there could scarcely be a more dramatic illustration of the plight prostitutes are placed in when the law forces them to work on the streets.

鈥淧ickton brought it to light,鈥� Young told a press conference. 鈥淚 had been developing arguments for many years, but I needed something more. Facts drive a case, and when they started to find bodies on that pig farm in 2002, it became extremely apparent to everyone that it is dangerous for sex-trade workers to work on the street.鈥�

He characterized the prostitution challenge as a David and Goliath battle fought by a small band of lawyers who worked pro bono, 20 91亚色 University law students and three tenacious litigants.

Over a five-year period, he said that his team assembled dozens of boxes of evidence and persuaded a sizable group of academics, community workers and prostitutes to testify without payment.

A win at the trial level was critical since the litigants and their legal team would not have been able to obtain funding for an appeal otherwise, Young added.

The case was also covered on , , the , , , , , and , among others.

You can stay current on this developing story by .

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He spoke to the Calgary Herald April 24 about how in conflicts defined by the number of our dead:

As Canada鈥檚 role in Afghanistan approaches its final year, the number of injured soldiers is more than 10 times the fallen.

鈥淔atalities do draw the most attention, because there鈥檚 a finality to it,鈥� says Martin Shadwick, a military analyst in the 91亚色 Centre for International & Security Studies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a clich茅, but it鈥檚 the ultimate sacrifice. Even though our number of wounded is quite high, it doesn鈥檛 resonate. That鈥檚 disquieting, because some of these guys are horrifically injured for the rest of their lives.鈥�

The Canadian Forces say they simply don鈥檛 want Taliban insurgents to know.

Shadwick points out that security concerns are somewhat valid because information can travel the globe in moments. However, Canada鈥檚 suppression of their numbers is far greater than other countries, such as Australia, which makes a public announcement every time a soldier is seriously wounded.

鈥淎 yearly release of the numbers seems overzealous. There must be a compromise in there somewhere. In comparative terms, we seem to be relying very heavily on the side of caution,鈥� Shadwick says.

April 18 about the Canadian Forces' plan to cut back on recruiting staff now that the armed forces are nearing their targets:

Defence analyst Martin Shadwick said the end of the military mission in Afghanistan in July 2011 takes some of the pressure off the Canadian Forces in terms of the need for new recruits.

But he questioned whether cutting back on recruiting staff was the right approach, considering that some services such as the navy have significant problems getting personnel.

"Can you really let all those folks go considering the navy is hurting?" he asked.

Shadwick also spoke to DefenseNews about :

Canada's Army is emerging as the clear winner in equipment purchases. It has received approval to spend more than 5 billion Canadian dollars ($4.9 billion) on several new fleets of armored vehicles, while an Air Force program to buy search-and-rescue planes and the Navy's efforts to spend billions on new vessels are in limbo.

The ongoing war in Afghanistan, and the fact that the service has become the main force called on by government for both international and domestic deployments, has bolstered its support, say analysts and officers.

"The Army is the major beneficiary of money available for equipment, largely because of Afghanistan and presumably because of an expectation they'll be called up more in the future for other missions," said defense analyst Martin Shadwick, a strategic studies professor at 91亚色 in Toronto.

Shadwick said the Army has been high profile over the last decade. It has been in Afghanistan, and is the first service the Canadian government usually turns to for international missions, as well as domestic deployments to deal with natural disasters such as forest fires and flooding.

Military officers privately agreed with that assessment, noting that although the Air Force has received new aircraft in the last three years, those planes have a transport role that would be used largely to support Army deployments. Canada has purchased and received four C-17s and is receiving the first of its new fleet of C-130Js starting in May.

. . .

Shadwick said one advantage that the Army has over the other two services is that the equipment it needs is readily available, unlike the construction of vessels that can take up to a decade.

"The lead time on acquiring a Close Combat Vehicle is relatively fast compared to purchasing ships or even compared to some Air Force projects," Shadwick said.

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