Councillors hold off on adopting task force for human trafficking

EDMONTON The city is making changes to address gaps in the licensing of body rub centres as an anticipated June report on the merits of a five-year exit strategy to remove licensing altogether looms over council.

A push for a city-led human trafficking task force was the focus of Wednesday’s meeting, which began as an update to council’s community and public services committee on how licensing concerns raised last September are being addressed.

Advocates fighting to end sexual exploitation called on councillors to adopt a city-run human trafficking task force to constantly monitor and review the always-changing industry.

“There are real challenges in changing dynamics in sexual exploitation and human trafficking aspects of this industry and the city does have a role,” Kate Quinn, the executive director of the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, told councillors. “We would really like to see the city work with subject matter experts and community initiatives to develop a framework for a task force.”

But councillors decided to hold off until hearing back from city staff in June on the merits of a strategy to end body rub licensing within five years, which the city is currently working on with affected organizations.

It’s a complicated issue, Coun. Sarah Hamilton said, noting there are also advocates for regulation as it benefits harm reduction.

“There’s a tension between proponents of harm reduction or the perspective that by registering people who work in the industry, you can at least have contact with them, and those who say that it’s legitimatizing what is essentially an illegal practice. I don’t think there’s an easy answer to this,” Hamilton said. “It’s a really big risk that you can undo the harm reduction that’s been done.”

At the end of 2019, there were 31 active body rub centres licensed in Edmonton.