New rules for Regina massage parlours focus on protecting vulnerable sex workers

City recommending new zoning bylaw and licensing program

If council decides to approve a licensing program, regulations around signage and language around signs used by body rub parlours could be introduced. (CBC)

While several people have asked for a ban on body rub/massage parlours in Regina, the city is focusing on bringing in a new bylaw and potentially a licensing system to regulate the industry and protect adult sex workers.

There are an estimated 20 body rub parlours operating in the city. None currently comply with the city's bylaws.

Regina Police Services Supt. Corey Zaharuk said without a regulatory framework, police don't have a clear picture of what is happening in these sites.

"The degree of sexual exploitation and/or human trafficking or even its presence there, I can't really tell you because I don't have the resources to tackle all of these establishments. We want to regulate them," Zaharuk said.

The city has been holding consultations on how to address body rub parlours, which are currently considered a discretionary use in industrial land zones that and are supposed to be approved by council. None of the current body rub parlours have this approval.

Many taking part in the consultations wanted to see these businesses banned, according to a city report.

Diana Hawryluk, executive director of city planning and community development, said an outright ban would not protect sex workers who operate in these environments.

"With a ban, the issues we were hearing was the safety of workers. What we heard was that workers will either go to another city to do this work or they would go further underground to more riskier business such as escort services, or on-street prostitution," she said, adding that sex work is not illegal in Canada.

She said the new regulations are focused on protecting workers' health and safety, as well as protecting neighbourhoods' character and integrity. The city also noted Mandarin translators were employed to overcome language barriers when consulting workers, and will be employed in the future as well.

Differentiating 'body rub' and 'massage'

City administration is proposing an amendment to the zoning bylaw to refer to "body rub establishments" instead of massage parlours, to distinguish them from registered massage therapy and therapists.

The lack of a formal definition in the current bylaw made it problematic to enforce existing body rub parlours, said Hawryluk.

Regina Police Services Supt. Corey Zaharuk (right) and Diana Hawryluk, Regina's executive director of city planning and community development, spoke Wednesday about proposed changes to how the city deals with body rub parlours. (CBC News)

"It's very complicated because it's been hard to get the evidence of what's actually happening behind those closed doors," she said, explaining these body rub parlours may claim they only give massages.

The zoning bylaw would allow these parlours to be a discretionary use in industrial and major arterial commercial zones, such as Victoria Avenue and Albert Street. These roads are considered "safer," as they're visible, well-lit, have more traffic traffic and are more policed, said Hawryluk.

Regulations on locations would be similar to cannabis stores, requiring a one-block separation between body rub parlours and schools, daycares and churches.

The recommendation to council is also to develop a licensing program that would allow the city to regulate body rub parlour workers' training, health and safety standards, criminal record checks and the parlours' hours of operation.

This would give the city the tools to inspect parlours and ensure workers' identity, their age and their safety, according to the city.

"When I say enforcement is part of our strategy, harm reduction is probably a bigger part of it," said Zaharuk. "We want to work with the owners and especially be involved in a more positive way with those that are vulnerable workers in the sector."

Saskatoon currently has two body rub parlours operating under a regulatory framework, while other cities also have imposed regulations on these businesses, he said.

The Regina report states that owners/operators of body rub parlours who took part in the consultations are accepting of the idea of licensing, and ensuring workers are safe and have some training. However, these owners and some workers did not want the city to move to licensing individual workers.

"They fear their privacy will be exposed and that would put them at greater harm, being able to perhaps have their names on a list of workers within that licensing regime," said Hawryluk.

The city is presenting its recommendations and implementation plan to council for approval on June 24. If the recommendations are approved, the city expects a licensing plan would be developed in March 2020, with full implementation of that plan to follow in 2021.