Regina reviews private strip club for possible breach of city bylaws
REGINA While a new members-only strip club openly promotes its showcase of naked, exotic dancers, the City of Regina has begun taking a closer look to sort out if the venue qualifies as an adult entertainment establishment as regulated by city bylaws.
Regina 151 has been operating without a liquor permit or a discretionary use permit since April this year.
On Wednesday, the city said it’s now reviewing “operational aspects” of the club to determine and assess if it is in compliance with local bylaws.
The operation of an adult entertainment establishment requires a discretionary use application, with the final say on approval or not from city council.
In a Postmedia News interview last week, the club’s owner, Darrin Oremba, said the city told him he didn’t need to make an application because his club is private.
The City of Regina has confirmed it did not receive a development application for the club.
Mayor Michael Fougere said in an interview Wednesday that he was surprised to learn about the club. If Regina 151 is violating the city’s bylaws, Fougere said the city will take “appropriate action” as soon as possible.
The mayor declined to comment on the possibility that 151 may be operating within the bylaws.
Fougere was hesitant to acknowledge what is actually happening inside 151, even though the club promotes itself online as a venue that has strippers.
“I don’t want to be evasive. I just don’t know what’s happening there,” said Fougere.
“I want to see whether it’s in compliance with our bylaws. That’s the first order of business,” he added.
At this point, city councillors are also unclear whether the club is breaking the bylaws or simply exposing a loophole.
Ward 10 Coun. Jerry Flegel said he’ll wait for the city’s investigation. From what he’s learned so far, Flegel said Oremba appears to be well-informed on the laws. “In this particular case, this guy did his homework,” he said.
The city now needs to do its own research to determine if Oremba is wrong or right. Flegel said the city can’t make a snap decision on the issue.
“You’ve got to stick to the laws and the bylaws on adult entertainment,” said Flegel.
“And if he has, then he’s maybe found a loophole, I don’t know. If he is in violation we’ll definitely be acting on it.”
Ward 9 Coun. Jason Mancinelli didn’t want comment specifically on the city’s bylaws, but did question the province’s laws against mixing booze and stripping.
“I don’t want to seem like I’m a raving sex maniac or something like that, but the nature of the strip clubs — I don’t understand why we’re so against them in Saskatchewan,” said Mancinelli.
He described Saskatchewan’s approach as isolating itself on an island, which leads to situations like the one with 151 where someone seemingly tries to circumvent the laws, and governments get caught up in expensive legal battles. If the city found the club to be in violation of the bylaw, Mancinelli said he would have no issue with enforcing it.
Ward 6 Coun. Joel Murray said he didn’t have enough information to comment, but acknowledged Regina 151 is operating in “a sort of grey area.”
Murray said the club sounds like an adult establishment “for all intents and purposes,” and the city should examine it as far as zoning bylaws.
Oremba’s club operates in a murky legal space on both provincial and municipal levels. Saskatchewan’s liquor permits prohibit stripping in bars.
Oremba’s club doesn’t sell alcohol, but does serve complimentary drinks as part of the memberships it sells.
The Regina accountant has said he sought legal advice before starting his club, and even made inquiries with the Saskatchewan Liquor and Game Authority (SLGA) while making sure not to tip his hand.
The SLGA has said selling and serving alcohol without a permit is illegal, and that enforcing the law falls to police.
In an email Wednesday, the Regina Police Service said, “we are working with our partners to determine next steps” regarding the club.
The last time someone sought City of Regina approval to open a strip club was in 2015. City council voted against it.
At the time, Fougere said the decision was based not on moral grounds but the business’s “impact on the community.”
He was convinced the club would not have been a safe environment.
“My perspective has not changed,” Fougere said Wednesday.
Regardless of the laws, Flegel said he recognizes paid striptease performances happen in private
In this particular case, this guy did his homework.
homes, and having a club where dancers could be protected by bouncers would be preferable.
He called Regina 151 a “case in point” that there is a demand for adult entertainment venues.
“We had an opportunity three years ago with a strip club to put these people into a safer environment and not in the streets and not in the basements of a stag or an old warehouse,” said Flegel.
“It was more of a cleaner environment.”
The city is currently in the midst of a review of its adult entertainment establishment regulations.