About OIC

Ottawa Independent Companions’ goal is to foster a sense of community among local independent sex workers and provide a warm and welcoming space to collectively organize with other professional workers in our industry. Independent sex work can be isolating. We believe that our collective power is more valuable when we work together rather than when we work alone. OIC is run entirely for-and-by sex workers ourselves.

To stay connected with each other we use a professional online private members-only platform called Slack, as our central hub for communications. This is where we connect on industry related issues, discuss OIC activities and matters, nurture social networks and support systems and cultivate safety structures. As members of OIC, we always conduct ourselves in accordance with our Statement of Values, both with our clients and with our colleagues.

 

Ottawa Independent Companions’ Statement of Values was created collaboratively by the founding members of OIC and is always open for discussion and changes by our members as we grow, progress and evolve as a collective. All members must wholeheartedly agree to abide by the following:

• Behave respectfully and conscientiously in our interactions with each other
• Strive to support one another, reduce isolation, share information, share resources, and work collaboratively on issues that affect our day-to-day working lives
• Encourage diversity in all forms within the collective (race, background, gender identity, ability, etc)
• In our advertising and provision of services we do not discriminate on the basis of race
• Respect confidentiality, privacy, and discretion as being vital for all members of this collective and our clients
• Respect the autonomy that every provider has over their own brand, work, and protocols.
• Recognize that OIC goes beyond an advertising platform. The advertising platform is a secondary benefit to OIC members, but not our primary goal as a collective
• Ottawa-based members should participate in on-going conversations about the direction of the collective, checking in on our members-only platform regularly to stay up-to-date on collective matters
• We stand in solidarity with other sex workers and do not publicly shame, humiliate, or comment negatively on the business practices of other providers in semi-private or public forums. For example, we do not post negatively about a member, or non-member’s website, photos, appearance, attitude, marketing, etc
• We freely give references to other members and non-members in the name of safety, regardless of our personal feelings for them, and we do not exhibit possessiveness or jealousy about our clients when they see other providers

Together, we are able to provide our members with a continually growing list of practical and helpful services, including:

• A private members-only central communications hub for information and resource sharing, networking, social interaction, and safety strategies
• A free profile on our website and promotion on our Twitter.
• A list of bad dates, habitual time wasters, and general warnings about who to avoid
• An optional safety check-in mechanism to document your whereabouts when meeting with clients
• Share and exchange industry skills with other members
• Members-only social functions to reduce isolation and make new industry friends

 

In the past we also had an emergency fund and subsidized therapy for members however, we have shifted into an entirely free and volunteer run platform as well as exhausted funds due to covid hardships. Going forward we wish to remain a free resource and platform for sex workers in Ottawa, with the goal to fundraise for costs, emergency funds and other resources.

In order to maintain a certain level of security within the collective, and to ensure that all members are aligned with our values, potential new members must receive a referral from an existing member. If no such referral is available, providers will be screened online and then in person, and admitted by the OIC organizing committee. We are entirely Ottawa focused, but companions based in nearby cities who regularly travel to Ottawa and have ties to OIC may be eligible to join on a ‘Visiting Companion” membership basis.

If you think you’d be a good fit for our collective, please visit our Join OIC page to review our membership criteria and submit an application.

For clients, we offer a place to find local companions who are guaranteed to be who we say we are, who are consistently discreet in our interactions and who always act in a professional manner. OIC is a community of local independent companions and our membership is comprised of people of all races, religions, ages (18+), backgrounds, genders, and gender presentations. Our group consists of escorts, erotic massage attendants, and BDSM/fetish providers. Beautifully diverse in the experiences that we each provide, every member of our collective will offer you an unforgettable and exciting erotic experience.

We prioritize anti-discrimination in the work we do, only asking that members behave in accordance with our Statement of Values. We are not an agency, and no one benefits from the labour of our members, apart from themselves. Ottawa Independent Companions is run entirely for-and-by sex workers ourselves.

The photographs of our members are guaranteed to be authentic, since another member of the collective verifies each companion that joins our group. All members have their own screening procedures and regulations, and all members host guests either from their own private space in Ottawa (incall) or prefer to be brought to your upscale Ottawa hotel room or home (outcall).

We also host social events a few times a year for clients and companions to get together and mingle.

Thank you for your support!