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House of Dolls Life in plastic is fantastic. The first legal sex-doll brothel opened in B.C. last December. Is this the future of the world’s oldest profession? by Alejandra Rivera

Kristen Dickson always wanted to own a brothel. “To be the one that is in control of something so controversial is amazing to me,” she says. “I love the idea of being untouchable.”

Her dream was not an easy one to accomplish at first, especially due to the legalities of owning a brothel, but this didn’t stop her.

She contacted a lawyer and began to set the foundations for what would later become the first business of its kind to be made legal in Canada. In December of 2018, Dickson officially opened House of Dolls, a fully licensed sex-doll rental service.

The selling of sex is no modern phenomenon; in fact it’s often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” The job has changed considerably, however, with laws and regulations making prostitution one of the most difficult and dangerous occupations. Despite this, those involved in sex work have found new ways of making the law work for them, and Dickson is certainly one of the industry’s pioneers.

House of Dolls operates out of Kamloops, B.C., as a home-based rental business for adult novelty toys. Because the city isn’t concerned with what people do with the items in their own homes, Dickson was able to work with the law rather than against it. The brothel business model, according to the City of Kamloops, would be classified as a body-rub parlour and is illegal. As a delivery service, however, House of Dolls is well within its legal rights to operate as a legitimate business. “It’s like an escort agency,” she explained, “but without prostitution and human beings involved.”

Her clientele ranges from people in their 30s to senior citizens. Some are couples, some are individuals with social anxieties. “Just a large variety,” she explains. As is the case with most sex work, client anonymity is a high priority. Dickson’s business was created with this in mind and allows its clients to express themselves sexually

without feeling like they need to put their identities or reputations at risk. The House of Dolls experience also affords clients the assurance that they are at no risk of contracting any sexually transmitted diseases, something both clients and sex workers themselves are on wary of. Because of this, Dickson takes the sanitation of her dolls very seriously. After use, a doll is put through a rigorous cleaning process that takes three hours to complete. Dickson uses a blacklight and internal camera to examine all components of the doll’s body, looking for any foreign objects that could potentially be harmful to the doll’s next client. Dickson, a wife and mother of two, takes great pride in her work. “My family is aware of my business and my children understand that mommy has mannequins that she dresses up and rents out,” she says. “I tell them that it’s like the ones that they see in the stores at the mall.” House of Dolls has given this entrepreneur the freedom to do what she wants without being scared of the law. And, for the most part, her business has been welcomed by the community.

House of Dolls has been extremely successful since opening and serves as a prime example of the obvious shifts within the sex work industry. “I have so many ideas for the future with this company, right now the possibilities are endless,” Dickson says. She insists that her business serves as a viable option for clients with disabilities, seniors or people with social anxiety who find it difficult to form relationships.

Although they are unconventional sexual partners for most, sex dolls can have a positive impact on an individual’s life and on sex work and the sex industry as a whole. •

Plugging in to Power Down With a doctor on your wrist, wearable technology can revolutionize your life. by Keith Jackson

A TYPICAL BEDTIME routine for 25-year-old Dylan Van As is in many ways like everyone else’s: he brushes his teeth, puts on his pyjamas and slips into bed. Before drifting off to sleep though, Van As has one more step to complete. “To be honest, I hate wearing my Apple watch during the day,” he says, “but I’ll wear it to bed every night.” Van As is a young entrepreneur, constantly working at expanding his businesses. This often involves staying up through the night, using his laptop or phone. His watch, however, isn’t intended for work but rather as a way to track his sleeping habits. Although technology is often regarded as something that disrupts sleep, the answer to combating our nocturnal woes may actually be more technology. In 2014, the National Sleep Foundation reported Americans as having “good sleep quantity, but not quality.” There’s a variety of reasons why sleep quality has decreased, but it’s become clear among experts that overuse of gadgets like smartphones,tablets and laptop computers is at the top of the list. Several studies have shown that the blue light beaming off of LED screens can slow or halt the production of melatonin, the hormone in our bodies that lets the brain know it’s time for bed. While falling asleep in front of the TV is common, the blue light emitted from our smartphones and tablets is much more powerful than that of a TV a few feet away and therefore interferes with the brain’s ability to enter sleep mode.

Recent reports suggest that roughly one in three Canadians is chronically sleep-deprived, making the country the third most sleep-deprived on the planet. If you’re curious about whether or not you’re getting enough sleep, try remembering your last dream — dreams a big indicator of your overall sleep health as they are associated with rapid eye movement (REM). REM sleep is the unique phase of sleep where dreams unfold, usually occurring about 90 minutes after dozing off. A lack of REM sleep indicates a low-quality sleep, often resulting in drowsiness and poor concentration the following day.

Traditional clinical practices of sleep assessment are either time- and resource-intensive or suffer from self-reporting biases. In order to adapt to ever-changing technological shifts, clinics now recommend smartwatches to help patients track and improve their sleep patterns. The wearable technology market is estimated to reach $71 billion in 2024 — a threefold increase in value since 2017 — and more than one-third of Canadians currently have a mobile health application on a smart device.

Smartwatches can track sleeping habits and provide users with an ideal daily routine to optimize their sleep. By wearing a watch to bed, sleep analytics are automatically transferred to a smartphone which tells users when they fell asleep, when they woke up, when they had their deepest sleep and when they were most restless. Briana Miller, a 22-year-old university student, uses a Fitbit Versa. “Tracking my sleep has been an [uneasy] process so far,” she admits. “The correlation between nights [where] I had poor sleeps and what I had done during that day made me question my routines”. Most surprising to Miller were the nights where a few glasses of wine sent her into a quick sleep. Although she had dozed off easily, her analytics confirmed that she did not, in fact, sleep well that night.

Apart from devices like Smartwatches, Apple’s App Store and Google Play offer free downloadable apps created specifically to fight the dreaded blue light. Apps like Night Shift and Flux, for instance, add a subtle warm filter to your screen meant to be used when winding down for the day. Efforts to improve sleep vary depending on the individual. Makers of wearable devices are racing forward with advances that will help you track your sleep. Regardless, experts agree that the best way of ensuring a more restful sleep, believe it or not, is to shut those devices down at least an hour before bed. •

Loaded for Bear

Police militarization in Canada and the battle of public opinion by Greta Kooy

Just 17 years ago, Michael Moore’s 2002 documentary Bowling for Columbine shocked audiences with its unnerving exploration of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. In Canada, active shooter incidents, both in school settings and otherwise, have occurred at an alarming frequency over the past three decades. One study conducted by independent news website The Conversation found an increase of roughly 2,100 per cent in tactical unit deployments in Canada from 1980 to 2018.

Since 1975, Canada has seen more than 10 school-related massacres and 12 mass shootings despite having stricter gun control laws than the U.S. Although Canada’s numbers are lower, the surge in recent gun activity — like the mass public shooting in downtown Toronto in July of 2018 — has increased public anxiety over this frightening trend.

The RCMP and police departments nationwide have reconfigured their training programs to address these types of incidents over the past two decades, implementing the Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) Program, designed specifically to train officers how to respond to active shooters. “That training is crucial, and they’re doing it now,” says Constable Carson Rhodes (name changed), who currently works in a counter-terrorism unit out of the Toronto area. “But it took that many school shootings, or that many mass shootings, for us to say, ‘Hey, this is an important training protocol.’”

In March of 2005, James Roszko killed four RCMP constables using a semi-automatic rifle in an incident now known as the Mayerthorpe tragedy. This event prompted the RCMP to adopt more advanced weapons, something that had not been seriously addressed in the past. The roll-out of these weapons was not swift. While the RCMP took steps to better equip its officers, another tragedy struck. In June of 2014, in Moncton, New Brunswick, Justin Bourque shot and killed three RCMP officers, severely injuring two more. Unfortunately, the officers were not equipped well enough to handle this shooter. As shooter-focused headlines become more prevalent, people naturally wonder if officers are properly prepared.

Despite several reports following the Mayerthorpe and Moncton incidents, such as the MacNeil report which indicated the need for more advanced weapons and better training, civilians and popular media outlets continue to object to the idea. “It contradicts the current climate,” says Rhodes. “Ever since Mayerthorpe, [reports have said] that we need better weapons to respond to these types of threats, and we never really got them.” The reason? Public perception. “If you see a police officer with too many sophisticated weapons, it can be intimidating,” he says. “But sadly, the truth is that we do need more advanced weapons. When there’s an active shooter in a school we can’t run in there with just pistols.”

After Moncton, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson stated his concernes about militarizing the police force. “It’s a delicate balancing act,” he told The Globe and Mail. “We have seen situations in the U.S. and some in Canada where this can distance the public from the police.”

Rhodes explains that following these high-profile incidents, and a “precedent-setting” trial, the

RCMP began rolling out the C8 carbine: a semi-automatic rifle with more accuracy and longer range. “It’s still being rolled out,” he says. Prior to the C8, officers were equipped with a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol. The guns were outclassed and not designed to handle shooters with semi-automatic long arms. “[Shooters] can get these weapons. So, if we don’t have them, they can shoot us at a longer range, accurately,” says Rhodes.

The roll-out of the C8 and heavy body armour is a step in the right direction Rhodes says. Hard body armour, a heavy plate worn inside of a bullet-proof vest, has now been placed in police vehicles in the event that it’s needed. “All that equipment is in our car, so we don’t wear it 24/7,” he explains.

The increasing presence of tactical units and heavily armed police officers at public events blurs the line between the police and the military. The result is an anxious society, one that has a mistrust for the police and valid concerns that these weapons may be used on the public. “Sometimes you’ll see these [heavily armoured] cops, and it does have an effect on you,” admits Rhodes. “People don’t want us, our own commissioner doesn’t want us, to look too militarized.”

“Before Columbine,” says Rhodes, “the policy for any type of active shooter was [for officers] to surround the place and wait for the ERT (Emergency Response Team) or SWAT. It would be more like a hostage situation.” Columbine was a wake-up call for law enforcement, one that was never truly listened to until recently. “Our policies have changed since then. We don’t contain and wait; we go in,” says Rhodes. “No matter who you are. That’s just our reality now.” •

Dying of Exposure

Young creatives struggle to survive and get paid. by John Tabbernor

“EXPOSURE. THAT IS MY favourite word,” Ted Spenceley quips sarcastically as he smiles and leans against his standing desk. When first getting started as a videographer and editor, it was a word he heard a lot. “When it came up, I’d wonder if my work wasn’t good enough to get paid for it.” Working out of his bedroom, Spenceley co-founded Railcar Creative with photographer and friend, Jaxon Howell. Like a lot of young Canadians working independently, they found one of the biggest hurdles in their path was getting paid fairly, if at all.

Grinding on your own means you don’t have the reassurance of an employer depositing your cheque every couple of weeks. Spenceley admits he felt unprepared to handle the business side of things for Railcar. “We both just wanted to pursue something creatively.” Their new production company specializes in social media content for artists, entertainers, and influencers. “No matter what you do, everyone has an authentic story. We want to tell those.” Spenceley recalls doing real estate videos for clients when he was getting started and quoting them absurdly low

The Professional Writers Association of Canada found that freelance writing rates in Canada have barely moved in the last

30 years

Similarly, since 1998 the Writer’s Union of Canada notes that Canadian writers have seen incomes drop j78%

prices just to get the work. Even then, the client would often balk at the price. “They’d have an expectation that they’d help me by getting my name out there.” It might be common for newcomers to the industry to devalue their own work, but rates of pay in these creative fields have been languishing for years.

Statistics Canada found that from 2014 to 2018 the average hourly wage for part-time workers in arts and culture sectors only increased somewhere between 14 and 94 cents. The Professional Writers Association of Canada found that freelance writing rates in Canada have barely moved in the last 30 years. Similarly, the Writer’s Union of Canada notes that Canadian writers have seen incomes drop 78 per cent since 1998. Compounding the existing economic realities, modern tools may also be to blame. Seemingly anyone can learn to create visual or written content and join the creative class. Earning a decent living at it? Unlikely. l

Hate Porn

Victims of revenge porn find themselves left as virtual puppets in the fight for privacy, and for identity itself. by Sarah Rose

The first collage of photos appeared on her Facebook page almost 10 years ago. Jessica A., at the time 17 years old, woke up to find her body laid bare across the page like a crime scene. Each image tagged with her full name blurred into a mosaic of nightmares. “I just remember him saying: “You worthless cunt, 4chan [an imageboard website that generates high traffic] is gonna love your tits.” I didn’t even think about that part. I just went and cried in my mom’s arms. I couldn’t tell her.”

Jessica, now 25, can’t remember how her high school boyfriend David convinced her to send him the photos, but the torment she would endure is a permanent memory. “Saying it out loud makes it so much harder,” she writes. “I don’t trust my own memories, I always feel like I’m secretly under attack.”

Not long after the photos appeared on Facebook , Jessica found her trauma immortalized on user-based porn websites such as Xhamster where images receive thousands of views and upvotes. She explains how David ensured the Xhamster content would look as if she posted it herself, voluntarily. “I was living a nightmare every single day for years and years,” Jessica recalls. Bombarded with hundreds of sexually harassing messages daily, she eventually deleted her Facebook account, but revenge porn has a way of making certain things stay frozen in time.

The Internet may have radically extended the power of speech and creative expression, but individuals are gradually losing control over their own images. The digital double is complicating personal identity at increasingly fragile ages.

Half of teen girls cite pressure from men as a reason to send sexual photos. Jessica is no exception: “I thought that’s just what everyone did, and I wanted guys to like me.” To other teens, sending sexually explicit content is a form of normal interaction. Most of the teenagers sampled by MediaSmarts at the University of Toronto knew sharing these photos was a crime, but that knowledge had no influence on whether they chose to share compromising photos or not. More than one in three felt a girl shouldn’t be surprised if her intimate photos were exposed; worse, an even higher percentage didn’t see anything wrong with that.

Revenge porn skulks in a moral and legal blind spot, and Jessica still isn’t sure how much ownership she has of her own images. She penned a lengthy plea to Xhamster to remove the abusive imagery. They never responded.

Some members of the social media oligarchy such as Reddit, Twitter and Google have taken to completely banning and de-indexing revenge porn, but it’s not enough. Virtual sexual encounters are an expectation, and girls experience degradation and abuse in alarmingly real ways. Yet there is still the chasm of a generational disconnect. It’s hard to imagine a teenager seeking moral guidance

from their parents on issues they’ve never dealt with before. Between Snapchat pornstars and the 85 per cent of college students in America who have used Tinder at least once, virtual sex and revenge porn are entrenched in the dating experience.

Michael Begg, a Vancouver lawyer, explains that victims of revenge porn can protect themselves using privacy and copyright. The first thing victims need to do is research their respective privacy laws. In this province, that’s the B.C .Privacy Act. If a website like Xhamster refuses to take your images down, threaten legal action. Citing section one of the Privacy Act, and (if necessary) getting someone with legal status to write the letter, should be the silver bullet for almost any website operator.

Revenge porn is primarily a privacy invasion and in Jessica’s case, it’s also distribution of child pornography. The copyright for these nude selfies belongs to the photographer not the subject. The bottom line: there is no imperative for those who take intimate selfies to tell those they share it with not to share it. The B.C. Privacy Act doesn’t include anything about waiving a right to privacy once a photo is shared, either. “Consent is a defense,” Begg explains. “The defendant must prove they have consent, not the plaintiff.”

Legal experts wonder if nebulous privacy and copyright laws will be enough to protect victims. “There’s not really a change in attitude towards privacy,” says Begg, adding that with the ever-expanding capabilities of technology, “people don’t have as much control as they used to.”

Perhaps the future legality of social media should focus on what goes beyond privacy: the right to identity itself. l

WAVES

Good Things Come in No Packaging

Two Vancouver stores are reducing our stream of container waste through reuse, recycling, and reimagining our consumption. by Sara Rabek

IT IS A COMMON misconception that plastics can be recycled more than once. The truth is, only 10 per cent of it will re-enter the system and the other 90 per cent ends up in a landfill or in the ocean. The Soap Dispensary (3718 Main Street; thesoapdispensary.com and Nada (675 East Broadway; nadagrocery.com) are two companies in Vancouver that do not use packaging for their groceries. They also promote products that help people minimize their own waste. Their goal is to help and inspire people to change the way they shop while working toward a healthier environment and lifestyle. Freya Deedes, who frequents both shops, has been trying to minimize her waste for the past year. When asked what influenced her to change her shopping habits she refers to June 1 of 2018, when “Vancouver expanded their recycling program and began accepting other types of plastic packaging. Rather than throw away these plastics like I had previously done, I started to wash, collect and take them to the depot. Doing this made me realize how much plastic my food came packaged in!”

Plastic bag use is at an all-time high in North America, where for every person, there is one plastic bag used per day. (In places like Denmark, about four plastic bags are used per person every year.) Around 18 billion pounds of plastic garbage ends up in the ocean annually. Currently, nearly every marine turtle has plastic pollution in its system and more than 56 per cent of whales are found with plastics and garbage in their stomachs. These concerns are widely expressed in the media, but the question is, how seriously is society taking this environmental crisis and changing the way it disposes of its mess? Yes, there are recycling systems in place, but from 1950 to 2015, out of all the plastic that was utilized in the United States, only nine per cent was recycled. In 2016, 320 million tons of plastic was produced world-wide; by 2034 this number is predicted to double. Packaging is the main culprit; 40 per cent of

packaging is used only one time and then discarded.

The Soap Dispensary takes pride in not using cheap plastics and materials, and encourages minimizing waste. The shop carries a variety of lifestyle and home products that are almost all biodegradable and often compostable. Products in this shop are made from natural sources and materials that are designed to last and leave zero to no footprint on the environment. Here you can purchase the plastic-free containers that you will need or you can take ones from the previously used bin to start your limited-waste way of living. A wall of products sold in bulk is at your disposal. The products range from natural cleaning ingredients to hair and body care, personal hygiene products, and even laundry detergents.

Nada is another retailer focused on minimizing waste, which means you bring your own containers or cloth bags to hold your groceries. The owners focus on ethical products by researching where their stock originates, how it is transported, and who grew or produced it. Knowing each product’s story is a core part of their values. Stores that discourage throwaway plastic packaging reduce our environmental impact in the short-term, but promoting ethical consumerism involves much more than that.

Living in a major city like Vancouver, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to be conscious about our consumption and environmental impact. Nada and The Soap Dispensary are two retailers that are trying to make a difference. It is important to both of these companies that consumers are conscious of their impact, and do their part in minimizing the use of packaging plastics in their day-to-day lives. •

Love at Right Swipe Tinder is more than a way of meeting people for casual sex; it could potentially lead to your future spouse. by Carley England

Waking up with a groggy memory and a pounding headache, Danica Rodriguez rolls over to find her phone and her shorts. After checking the time, she gets up wearing a baggy T-shirt and walks to the bathroom. She brushes her teeth, wipes off her day-old makeup and puts her glasses on before entering the kitchen to make coffee. Hearing some grumbling from under the sheets, she looks over at her bed to see a man just waking up. She grabs a mug, pours coffee in it and walks toward him.

“Coffee? Um… Sorry, what’s your name again?”

For 21-year-old Rodriguez, this is just one of many scenarios users experience when they meet up through online dating. The 3 a.m. “You up?” texts are part of the new normal when meeting people, and the inception of Tinder in 2012 only fuelled such activity. It’s almost unheard of these days to wait until you’re dating before you see someone naked.

“My boyfriend and I slept together on our first date. Actually, I wouldn’t even call it a date. I met him on Tinder and we talked for a few days,” Rodriguez says, sipping her iced vanilla macchiato. “One night we were both drinking and met at a hotel room. The rest was history.”

According to Craig Smith, a digital marketing expert and blogger who reported on Tinder’s 2018 statistics, there are an estimated 50 million users on the app and 10 million of those use it actively. Its simplicity is key, says Rodriguez. “I don’t have to go onto Safari and type in a website url. I just unlock my phone and click on the app.”

Back in 1986, matchmaker. com debuted to the public as a way to virtually match singles through surveys. For the average single then, the dating process was delayed by Internet speed, distance and time. In 2019, you can skip the quizzes, questionnaires and personal essays about how someone loves long walks on the beach. A study by Giulia Ranzini and Christoph Lutz confirmed that “GPS-based dating apps, more so than traditional dating sites, strengthen the connection between online and offline, giving users an incentive to meet ‘in real life.’” Rodriguez observes: “People my age don’t want to waste their time with someone who is going to suck in bed. We like to test out the waters before jumping ship with them.”

Some sites like profilehelper. com argue in favour of old-school websites, claiming that Tinder “is designed for impulse-driven choices that are based on attraction.” Rodriguez says: “Tinder has a bad rep for just being a hook-up site. But I know this couple who met on the app, moved in together, and got a cat. He just proposed to her and they’re getting married in September.” She adds, “The way people do things changes every day. There’s a big culture shock at first, but eventually everyone accepts it and moves on.” l

Who uses Tinder?

38% FEMALE 62% MALE

OTHER 38% 16-24 YRS 38%

25-34 YRS 45%

Drag Queen Cholula Lemon has a captive audience at Drag Queen Story Hour.

The Library is Open

Drag Queen Story Hour: From feminist fairytales to queer stories, proud queens around the world are reaching the next generation through more than just words. by Juliana Ferrante

“It’s called Julian Wants to be a Mermaid and it’s a book we use on the regular as it promotes diversity and possibilities,” says Ona Louise, a New York City drag queen. Step aside nightlife drag and welcome a whole new approach – Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH).

Drag Queen Story Hour first made its appearance in 2015 when co-founder Rachel Aimee, with help from Honey Mahogany, former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, promoted the concept in San Francisco. That winter, Louise adopted the idea and brought it to New York City. It was a fresh take on drag that she had never seen before, and she wanted to spread it.

So what is Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH)? “Well, it’s exactly what is sounds like: Drag Queens reading to children,” says Louise. “We perform at public libraries, schools, and you can even organize your own.” Each hour consists of inspirational book readings and a creative activity and closes with a dance, led by a proud queen.

This non-profit organization creates an innovative environment for children (ages three to eight) to experience gender diversity and identity formation. “DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models,” Louise states. After receiving national press from their first event, the organization grew rapidly, forming chapters and holding story hours in cities across Canada, the U.S., Japan, Germany and Australia.

Louise, who leads up to five story hours per week, describes her gig as “rewarding.”

“There is a point in every reading where I feel like I want to cry. Even if there is just one kid who really experiences the magic during my reading.”

The glitz and glamour of drag queens is mesmerizing for young kids and allows a new way for them to be introduced to the queer community. Stories like It’s Ok to be Different by Todd Parr, Neither by Airlie Anderson, and Julian Wants to be a Mermaid by Jessica Love, are regularly read to promote messages of acceptance and inclusivity.

Each story hour is different, as the queens bring their own unique talents to entertain participants. “We have 14 queens we rotate through here in New York City,” Louise explains. They speak different languages, play musical instruments, lead games and engage their kids with their outsize personalities. DQSH is also broadening their inclusive story space by organizing readings for children older than eight, and for differently abled children.

Most traditional drag performances are held at nightclubs and cater to an older crowd; DQSH brings forward day-drag and allows the art form to express itself in new ways. Combining learning, fun and excitement, the queens are able to positively promote to children through story hours that “it’s ok to be different.”

DQSH is paving the way for new generations by creating an accepting environment for children. Not only does each story hour promote literacy, but it’s exciting for kids to meet the queens and see their costumes, hairstyles and makeup close up. “Once we had so many children at a story hour, I had to read the story in three different waves,” Louise recalls.

It’s an experience that literally adds more than a little sparkle to modern-day storytelling. ■