This is my story, and a call for change.
If something similar has happened to you, please consider writing and submitting a letter about your experience to help protect others.
Two traumatic labours had left me struggling with incontinence, and nothing my doctors suggested brought relief. Then I came across an online procedure that claimed to fix it. When I went to that clinic for the procedure, I was sexually assaulted by a man who presented himself as a doctor. His credentials used terms like “medical” and “surgical,” which sounded legitimate. He had glowing online reviews and most people referred to him as doctor, so I believed he was qualified and safe.
I later found out those credentials were paid for, not earned. There was no licensing body. No oversight. Just a website, a man, and a treatment room.
After my own assault, I contacted every organization I thought could help. I reached out to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, the city’s licensing office, and the Better Business Bureau. Every one of them told me the same thing (if they even bothered responding): they had no authority over him. Because of how the system is set up, no one was responsible for investigating what happened or preventing it from happening again, except the RCMP.
This is the loophole.
And when someone gets hurt, the system protects those doing the harm instead of the people affected by it.
That’s why I’m speaking out. The law needs to be clear:
If something like this has happened to you, I hope you’ll consider sharing your story. We are collecting letters from people who have been harmed in similar ways. These letters will be submitted to government leaders to support changes in the law.
This is about fixing the gaps that allowed this to happen and making sure it doesn’t happen again.
Articles about my assault:
I’m a mother of two girls, a small business owner, an activist and an ally. I’m not sharing this because it’s easy. I’m sharing it because silence protects the wrong people. Thank you for reading, and more than that, thank you for not looking away. Let’s fix what the system keeps ignoring.
This isn’t just about what happened to me. It’s about a system that creates the conditions for harm and refuses to step in when it happens. That can change, but only if enough people speak up.
Here’s how we move this forward:
Real change begins when we stop accepting what is and demand what should be. The laws failed to protect us. Now we are asking them to do better.
Your privacy matters. Nothing will ever be shared publicly without your permission. Your letter will only be sent to the governing bodies that can fix this.