Close to Home

Ever driven through Gasoline Alley in Red Deer? Most Albertan’s have. It’s a fairly innocent-seeming stop through en route between Edmonton and Calgary, but it’s also the site of a major human trafficking charges.

Global CALGARY reported April 17, 2015 – “A Red Deer man and woman have been charged with human trafficking, in connection with the alleged abuse of eight temporary foreign workers at a central Alberta hotel. The alleged victims were employed at an Econo Lodge in Red Deer County’s Gasoline Alley.”

For the rest of the story Melissa Ramsay and Karen Bartko follow the link below:

http://globalnews.ca/news/1944890/red-deer-pair-charged-with-human-trafficking-at-central-alberta-hotel/?hootPostID=0d090941a2a06af035aeb11f931803e2 

“Human traffickers exploit the most vulnerable people in society, such as migrant workers, and they prey on despair and desperation,” says RCMP Insp. Darcy Fleury.

We (myself included) like to distance ourselves from the nasty things like “human trafficking”. We like to think these are somebody else problem far away. Even though we may not like hearing it, it is important to be reminded that this is a current problem happening close to home.

“It’s not as uncommon in Alberta as people think,” says Andrea Burkhart ACT Alberta. 

“ACT Alberta helps victims exploit exploitation. It says nearly half of its cases now involve labour abuse.”

“It also takes victims who are vulnerable and who have been exploited t takes a lot of courage for them to come forward too. And then, of course, it takes the community being able to respond to support those victims,” says Burkhart. 

Glen Ronald || Artist Profile

by Glen Ronald

Glen Ronald is the self-proclaimed Chaos Whisperer. He has been an artist for more than 45-years working in fine art, design, painting, illustration, and portraiture. Ronald finds inspiration in chaos, music, nature, spiritual questions, human psychology, and science. He has an Honours BS. and a BEd at UBC. Ronald pursued fine art and then iron working.

He worked as an artist, presenting several shows of original paintings in Thailand, during the three years he lived there in the late 1990s.

After moving back to Edmonton Ronald’s passion for art and branding inspired his current venture, Spark - The Branding Shop. Spark works to help clients develop their image and provide creative ideas to build their brand. They design original apparel and promotional products.

Ronald's primary mediums are ink on paper or wood panels and acrylic on canvas. He uses a variety of pens, including fountain pen, Micron, Pentel Brush Pens, or Artist’s Loft. He uses acrylic and Indian ink in his work. Ronald utilizes several techniques to “create the chaos” including splashing ink, spraying water, and a variety of other unconventional paint application methods.

His painting studio is in the heart of Edmonton's exciting new arts area - Alberta Avenue. He has been on the Board of Arts on the Ave since January 2013, which seeks to promote Alberta Avenue through the arts.

To see more of Glen’s work check out his website: https://glenronald.wordpress.com/

Where do we start?

Human trafficking is a crime that hides in the shadows of society, that easily slips past us pretending to be something else. The unfortunate fact is that it is the most lucrative black market trade globally, second only to drug trafficking, with nearly 30 million people being held as modern-day slaves.

That is staggering. 

For most of us in North America, we cannot fathom that this abhorrent violation of human rights could be going on every day without our knowledge. We get angry, we hurt for the victims, we feel the need to do something, anything to help. But where do we start? It is absolutely overwhelming; these aren't small brothels run by a couple seedy guys, they are highly organized human trafficking rings, financed by millionaires, protected by politicians, that have multiple organizations spreading across the globe. This is a seriously daunting problem. 

One can easily argue that it is untouchable, that whatever efforts we do make will be a small splash in a terribly giant pool. However the awareness for this issue is only growing by the day, there are organizations across the world that work to combat human trafficking and they are succeeding. They are making a difference in the lives of victims, rescuing them from desperate situations, providing counselling and education, and giving hope. 

This is where we start. Humans without hope are lost. So if we start by educating ourselves on the issue, we can go on to support those organizations that make an impact in the lives of victims and work to bring justice to the perpetrators. We can give hope to the hopeless.


Here are some of the incredible non-profit organizations that our Spero Gala team supports:

International Justice Mission - https://www.ijm.ca
ACT Alberta - http://www.actalberta.org
Not for Sale Campaign - http://notforsalecampaign.org
EVE (Exploited Voices now Educating) - http://educating-voices.com
Stop the Traffik - http://www.stopthetraffik.org/canada
CEASE (Centre to end all Sexual Exploitation) - http://www.ceasenow.org

Randy Hyashi || Artist Profile

Randy Hayashi is a three-time contributor to the Spero Gala.

Hilda Glacier by Randy Hayashi  

12" x 36"

Scrolling through the photo gallery of Hayashi’s landscape painting’s, on his website is reminiscent of a drive from Edmonton to Banff. The scenes are familiar, and there is something both exhilarating and peaceful in the recognition.

The artist uses vivid contrasting, in a style reminiscent of the group of seven, to evoke a sense of connection to the landscapes of Alberta. His medium of choice is acrylics because it allows him to layer colour, create texture, as well as allowing flexibility for spontaneous changes.

Born and educated in Alberta’s capital, Hayashi is inspired by the nature around him. He enjoys the outdoors. He seeks to create “tangible reminders of personal experiences and places.” You can recognize Edmonton’s river valley and Rocky Mountains in his landscapes. 

The Spero Gala

The fourth annual Spero Gala is less than two months away! Join us for an evening of music, art and great food and wine to raise money for ACT Alberta. They are a non-profit organization that works for fight human trafficking through multiple facets, including raising awareness, working with law enforcement and government agencies, and providing support for victims. For information on the event please visit our website at sperogala.ca.

Whether you attend our event or not, we urge every person to get educated and involved with the many issues surrounding human trafficking. It is easy to ignore something that seems not to touch us in North America but the trade of human beings is more prevalent now than any time in our world's history. Nearly 30 million people around the world are held in slavery and it is time the world knew about it so we can work towards a goal of hope.

Check back for more in-depth stories and current articles surrounding the issues of human trafficking. And thank you for your support!