What's being done to protect women on Hamilton trails? Police investigate another sexual assault

Melissa Kelly says that when it comes to making trails in Hamilton safer for women, not much has changed since a string of sexual assaults last summer.

She organized a women's safety walk last summer following the assaults and says "I feel that not much has been done since last year."

Right now police are investigating another sexual assault. This one, they say, took place near the Wentworth Street South entrance to the Bruce Trail around 2:40 p.m., on June 25.

Police say they're looking for a "Middle Eastern" man with a "skinny build, buzz cut hair [and] no facial hair." The suspect was around five-feet-nine-inches tall and is roughly 30-years-old, police say, and was wearing a red t-shirt with a black logo.

Calls for trail safety measures from survivors and advocates have included emergency phones, motion sensors, cameras and improved lighting.

But the number of assaults is unclear.

Hamilton police told CBC Hamilton it doesn't track assaults on trails, saying it doesn't categorize data that way.

Miranda Jurilj, public education coordinator for the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area, said there may be unreported assaults to consider.

"People are not always comfortable coming forward," Jurilj said.

Kelly said conversations she has had with police have shown her that the real scale of the issue is unknown. 

"The reports that we hear are only a few of the cases that are happening. There's many more cases that have happened that just haven't been reported," she said.

Trail users look out for each other 

Hamilton police said in a release from last August that they "increased patrols on area trails... after two women reported being targeted."

Police told CBC Hamilton on June 27 officers patrol trails "regularly."

However, Kelly says, while out on the trails, she hasn't seen many officers.

Vince Kuber, founder of the Hamilton-based running group Steeltown Athletic Club, said he teaches a bi-yearly safety workshop for trail users. The sessions are about correct gear and running conditions, but also about the assaults.

Kuber said the sessions are mostly attended by women and non-binary people, often sharing concerns about using the trails. 

"It goes to show you how many people are eager to learn about this or just have a safe space to talk about it," he said. 

Kelly said when she is out on the trail, she does her best to inform women she sees walking alone. 

"I have stopped women to make them aware that there have been attacks on the trail, because many women I see walking along the trail by themselves will have headphones in, and they wouldn't be able to be aware if someone is approaching them," she said. 

She said she talks on the phone when she walks on the trail, so she isn't fully alone and people know where she is. 

City staff review safety measures on escarpment stairs

Tara McFadyen, a legally blind 31-year-old, previously told CBC Hamilton she was on a run up the James Street stairs in 2021 when a man sexually assaulted her.

She has called for cameras to be installed on local outdoor stairs, saying it would deter crime and help police identify attackers.

Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann put forward a motion on March 20 to address McFayden's assault on the James Street stairs. 

Council approved the motion and city staff are currently working on a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design review, which will specifically look at implementing safety measures on the escarpment stairs. 

In February, Nann said she hopes changes will be made this year, but more expensive projects, like installing cameras, might have to wait until 2024. 

Jurilj raised concerns about increased surveillance and pushed back against the idea that will prevent assaults.

"We know that for many communities, increasing surveillance equals a lack of safety and also surveillance in those cases really isn't a prevention method, but something to do after the fact," she said.

The key, Jurilj said, is to listen to survivors, as well as address and change rape culture.