The City has reversed its decision regarding hours of operation for massage parlours in Edmonton. In January, the City allowed the industry to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“There was a request from the police, from the public safety compliance team, from a number of people that said this is not a wise move, in terms of our ability to make sure people are safe,” explains Councillor Ben Henderson.
“We can’t do that on a 24-hour basis… so on their advice, we put it back to what it was before. We’ll see and we’ll monitor.”
“The ways the bylaws are written, they are not intended and they are not written to facilitate prostitution,” says Detective Ken Brander, who works for the Edmonton Police Service Vice Section.
“So, the city doesn't do it, the police certainly don't do it. What's happened is that bylaws - like we talked about - corrupted, they have been abused. Not adhered to by the owners, who are making money.”
Brander explains that – unlike any other industry – owners of body rub parlours and escort services fine their workers for a variety of things, including missing a shift or showing up late.
“You heard what that girl said inside,” he adds, “she worked at one place and over the course of just a couple of years, thousands and thousands of dollars of fines that they owe the owner.”
“The owners are in this to make money, and if they have to circumvent the bylaw or trounce all over the criminal code to make money, that’s what they’re going to do. That’s a cold reality.”
There are several things the City could do to improve the situation, says Brander. He believes making some changes to the bylaw will help.
“It was meant to offer some sort of safe alternative for people, women, walking the street of Edmonton, somewhere safer,” he explains. Still, that’s not what the 24/7 hours of operation allowance ended up doing, he says.
“The bylaw was never intended to offer some kind of refuge for criminal activity.”
Wednesday, council went back on its January decision, and now, hours of operation are limited to between 7am and 11pm.
“We made a lot of changes around massage parlours,” says Henderson. “This was a small part of what got changed.”
Those who understand the industry are not critical of the flip-flop on this issue.
“I think this was an error,” says Jacqueline Linder with Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network, “and my understanding is they have recognized in hindsight, being 20/ 20 for all of us, that an error has been made, and they are trying to rectify that. That I applaud.”
Other changes include mandatory safety courses for those who decide to become a practitioner and work in the industry, and body rub centres must abide by a number of conditions that are monitored by bylaw officers and police.
Brander and the EPS Vice Unit would like to see even more changes made to the bylaw, including replacing the license and fee requirement with a registration requirement. He says that will prevent workers from owing their employer for the licensing fee, which can keep them in debt to someone who might exploit them.
“Put more onus on the owners to become more transparent in what they’re doing, to keep better records, and ultimately, to be more accountable,” stresses Brander.
“We should be able to make it a more difficult place for these places to operate unless they’re going to operate properly.”
Pressure from police, sexual exploitation awareness groups, and even testimonials from workers led to this recent review by council.
Brander says EPS conducted two criminal investigations of two local escort companies, which led to two owners being charged. He also spoke to a woman who sought police assistance, and shared her experiences working in the industry with detectives.
“If someone is advertising sex for money services, if they’re screening customers, if they’re supplying rooms, if they’re supplying clothing, condoms, all those things, and then in return getting money for that, if they’re living off the avails, all those things are criminal offences,” explains Brander.
“The only person in this scenario who’s not really committing a criminal offence is the person who’s providing the sex for money service, the prostitute.”
Sally, who works in the industry, feels the restricted hours are a positive step.
“There's already an owner that I worked for that wants the girls working so many shifts because she's understaffed,” she says. “Girls are working extra hours, extra days, and if they don't work them or don't want to work them, then are going to get fired.”
Police say restricting the hours will give officers the ability to monitor what happens in these facilities more closely, and ultimately, keep the workers safe.
“There are just so many risks involved by opening it up unlimited hours, 24 hours a day,” says Brander.
“I think the suggestion was it was easier to monitor by leaving it at 11 o’clock, and seeing what kind of effect that had, rather than the other way around, by going to 24-hours and maybe not having the capacity to monitor what was happening and making sure people were safe,” explains Henderson.
“The fear is that we begin to drive stuff back underground, which isn’t what we want and doesn’t get us any further forward.”
Brander cautions against that belief.
“By imposing stiffer regulations on owners, it’s not going to drive prostitution underground,” he stresses. “There’s nothing underground about prostitution in Edmonton or in any other city. Two clicks of a mouse on the internet and you’ve found as many prostitutes that you want to find in your city.”
Brander says it’s up to the citizens of Edmonton to decide how they want this industry regulated, and to tell the city what they think.
“What kind of bylaw do we want to have? Do we want a bylaw that promotes safety as much as we can? Do we want to make it difficult for shadowy owners and abusive owners that are going to exploit vulnerable people? The answer is yes, we do.”
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