This article has been updated.
| March 12, 2018 @ 4 a.m. | This article is an update to a previous piece The Medium published on February 26, 2018. The previous article reported that there was a possibility of sex trafficking occurring on the UTM campus by the World Mission Society Church of God. The initial article has since been removed and this piece serves as an update to the original. |
As of Monday, February 26, the religious group, previously reported on to have been approaching students about a Female God, has no confirmed ties to sex trafficking. The Medium has reached out to all authors of the initial social media posts describing the allegations and received no response confirming ties to illegal activity.
At Guelph-Humber University, similar posts were circulating with the religious group ultimately being removed from campus by security for trespassing. The group was referred to as members of the World Mission Society of God. This particular group was confirmed at Guelph not to be related to sex trafficking after reports were filed with campus police.
According to the website of the religious group, “The Church of God carries out the Holy Spirit Movement to restore the truth and faith of the Early Church all around the world. It is less than in 10 years from the beginning of the overseas mission that the Churches of God have been established throughout the world.”
At U of T, no official report has been filed according to Terry McQuaid, the executive director of personal safety, high risk and sexual violence prevention, despite student accounts of being approached by group members.
Similar posts were shared in New Jersey, which were later also proven to be a hoax.
The group’s site also lists all the locations the group is based throughout North America and other continents. Currently, the group has church centres in Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The Medium will continue to update this article as more information becomes available regarding the group’s activities on campus.
