SASKATOON — Favourable weather will greet organizers and participants of the 3rd Annual Human Trafficking Awareness flag-raising ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22, at noon at Saskatoon City Hall’s Civic Square.
Weather Canada has forecast a high of -2 degrees and a low of -5 degrees on Saturday. This is a welcome reprieve after almost two weeks of extreme cold, with wind chills reaching -40.
Jointly organized by the Catholic Women’s League Canada’s Saint Anne Catholic Church Councill and the Salvation Army-Saskatoon, the group will then walk from Civic Square to Parktown Hotel, where they will present and discuss the said issue at 1 p.m.
Saint Anne Parish CWL council is partnering with the Salvation Army to host the Human Trafficking Awareness event in Saskatoon in 2025. Organizers hope for broader participation this year.
“The young and vulnerable people in our city are affected and need our help,” said Saskatoon’s Human Trafficking Awareness project co-chair Anne Ashcroft.
The Saint Anne’s CWL council has organized a flag-raising ceremony at Saskatoon City Square for the past two years to mark the day. Speakers and a discussion will follow the 2024 event.
In 2021, a motion was adopted in Parliament where all members unanimously voted to declare every Feb. 22 to be National Human Trafficking Awareness Day to ramp up the campaign to the public about the horrific issue that has affected many communities in the world. The federal government’s move follows the 2007 declaration condemning all forms of human trafficking and slavery.
For the first time this year, the provincial government joined its federal counterparts and the Saskatoon City Council, declaring Feb. 22 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Saint Anne’s CWL Council and the Salvation Army invite the public to the flag-raising. Following the flag-raising, those interested are welcome to participate in a round-table discussion at the Parktown Hotel to share thoughts regarding this critical issue and discuss how to take action and collaborate to end human trafficking.
