Exotic dancer says strip club provides safe place to work
An exotic dancer believes Regina’s new private strip club is a step forward for Saskatchewan women working in adult entertainment — but she fears the government will try to take it away.
Ivy, a Regina-based dancer who works at the members-only Regina 151 club, describes it as a positive, safe space for dancers thanks to the security staff it employs. Her real name is known by the Leaderpost, but she asked to be identified by her stage name for privacy reasons.
The club has also allowed dancers like Ivy, a working mom, to make a steady income without having to travel away from her family.
“It’s a place where we can just come to work, do our jobs and then I don’t have to travel for hours and be gone for over a week just to make money doing something that I enjoy,” she said in a recent interview.
Saskatchewan’s liquor laws do not allow stripping in bars, a policy Ivy said has forced many dancers out of province to seek work at strip clubs.
It’s also meant those who choose to strip in Saskatchewan end up performing at private residences. Ivy said walking into someone’s home can come with risks because it’s an unfamiliar environment, as opposed to a club that has rules and bouncers who enforce them.
Many dancers in Saskatchewan only perform on a part-time basis because of the province’s laws that prohibit mixing booze and stripping. Ivy said other dancers did not wish to speak out in favour of the club for fear of jeopardizing their day jobs.
Regina 151 is operating in a legal grey area on both a provincial and municipal level. The club’s owner, Darrin Oremba, does not have a liquor permit and did not apply for a discretionary use zoning permit with the city. In previous interviews with the Leader-post, Oremba said he consulted with lawyers and was assured this club is not in breach of the laws because it is private.
Instead of selling alcohol, the club provides it complimentary with the memberships it sells.
The City of Regina and the Regina Police Service are now looking into the club to determine if it is breaking any laws.
Even if the club is found to be in the clear, Ivy worries the provincial government will try to change the liquor laws to get it shut down.
“That’s what the government likes to do is change things to make it harder for people who are either small businesses or doing work they don’t morally agree with,” she said. “Because they think that the Bible belt that this province is under is what’s most important, when that actually makes it more dangerous for our work.”
In defending its restrictive liquor laws, the provincial government has contended strip clubs open the door to the potential for human trafficking. Ivy said the government’s laws have the opposite effect by driving stripping underground, which is much more dangerous than having a strip club. She insists all of the women who work at Regina 151 are there by choice.
Ivy said dancers deserve a safe working environment, even if not everyone agrees with their chosen profession.
“The laws make things very frustrating as a woman and a dancer that is proud of what she does,” she said. “And none of us should be shamed for it or looked down upon for it. If we can do our jobs safely and close to home, that’s a bonus. That’s a major plus, that’s progress.”