Sex work issues to be discussed at city hall

Councillors Maggie Burton and Hope Jamieson have requested a meeting with city staff to discuss what can be done to address concerns surrounding sex work in St. John’s.

While the meeting, to occur in the coming weeks, will be a preliminary discussion about what issues have been heard from residents and sex workers alike, Burton says she is hopeful progress can be made.

“We’ll meet to talk about the status of massage parlours in the city of St. John’s and what we should do on a go-forward basis. We really need to hear from the people who are active in the field, who have the right idea of what needs to happen first,” said Burton.

“This is a process that will take a lot of time.”

In 2015, a moratorium was put in place by the city preventing the issuance of more permits for adult massage parlours. A former massage parlour on Wood Street was the focal point of area complaints, so the city put the moratorium in place as a safety measure for residents.

Sex workers say that because the permits are tied to addresses, rather than to the businesses, it prevents them from leaving neighbourhoods where issues arise.

Burton says learning about why that moratorium was issued and whether it can be changed will be top of mind at the meeting.

“We want to see where that’s going. As with any industry, you have to look at your practical concerns such as traffic and noise. Those are some things we need to look at,” she said.

“We have a moral obligation to ensure sex workers have safe places to work in the city.”

There are some initial ideas about amending massage parlour permits to allow them only in specific areas of the city. Burton says any such changes, if they do occur, would not mean the city is creating a “red light district.”

“That’s absolutely not going to happen.”