Residents may get A say on body rub parlours

Council could strengthen enforcement or licence sexual service providers

The public may soon have a chance to weigh in on “body rub” parlours in Regina, with city hall floating two options for regulating sexual service providers running afoul of bylaws.

City councillors have already considered a report on the issue in private. It’s set to come to a public session of executive committee on Wednesday.

The report proposes either strengthened enforcement or a licensing system for what were previously called “massage parlours,” which the city defines as establishments where massages are performed for sexual pleasure. The new term “body rub” is meant to avoid confusion with therapeutic massage.

If councillors opt to follow the report’s recommendations, both options would be submitted to a public consultation process early in the new year. The process would also involve focus groups or interviews with sex workers who provide services in the establishments. Administration would then return with a specific recommendation by mid-2019.

According to the report, the goal is to improve safety for workers and clients while avoiding undue disruption to neighbouring properties. Each option is geared to one of those competing aims.

While administration says the two options may not be “mutually exclusive,” they foresee radically different ways of dealing with a growing industry that largely escapes regulation.

The first option simply calls for better enforcement of the current zoning bylaw, which limits adult entertainment establishments to certain industrial zones. That could involve a greater role for police and would likely lead to some existing parlours getting shut down.

The second option involves a licensing system for parlours and the “body rub practitioners” who work there, including criminal record checks and proof of age. It would also change the zoning bylaw to allow the parlours to set up in some commercial zones, including along major arteries and downtown.

The city has noted a growing presence of massage parlours in Regina, with the report noting that 21 are currently operating.

Online advertisements further support the availability of sexual services in some Regina massage parlours, boasting that masseuses are “sexy” and describing their measurements. Some reviewers post comments that “extras” are available.

Devon Hill, an advocate with the anti-human trafficking group Freedom Catalyst Regina, said a licensing system would assist police in investigating trafficking. He said it might help drive traffickers away, since criminals generally don’t want to get licensed or provide information to police.

“I think this is definitely a good step,” he said. “I’m encouraged to see that the city is wanting to consult with all different parties, including adult entertainment workers.”

He foresees ways to fuse the two options, saying the licensing system could be used even if the parlours remain stuck in industrial areas.

The relevant sections of the zoning bylaw, which define massage parlours and determine where they can locate, have not been updated since the early ’90s. The legal framework for sexual services has gone through significant changes since. Selling sex became legal in 2014, but buying sex remains against the law.

Administration notes that body rub parlours are generally legal under the Criminal Code. But Regina has no licensing system regulating them and the city has faced challenges in enforcing the zoning bylaw.

Early this year, manager of current planning Fred Searle said it can be difficult to gather evidence on the activities that go on inside the massage parlours. The report further notes that development officers “are not trained or equipped to enforce the kind of operations they might be asked to enter.”

Saskatoon passed its Adult Services Licensing Bylaw in 2012. It involves police in enforcing compliance. The licensing system proposed for Regina would be similar.

It would use separation distances to keep the establishments away from schools, daycares and community centres. All practitioners would need to be over 18 and legally able to work in Canada.

Operators would have to provide up-to-date information on everyone performing sexual services inside. They would also have to comply with standards on signs that wouldn’t “unduly disrupt” the surrounding area. The plan even foresees inspections by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

While licence fees would make up much of the costs of enforcing the regime, the same cannot be said for the enforcement option under the current zoning bylaw. It would require about $221,000 for a police officer and a development officer to crack down on existing parlours. If they chose to relocate to industrial zones, they would need to seek council permission.

The report provided no information about other adult entertainment establishments that appeared to be violating the zoning bylaw, like a private strip club, known as Regina 151, which was recently operating in Tuxedo Park without first going through a discretionary-use application.

I’m encouraged to see that the city is wanting to consult with all different parties, including adult entertainment workers.