Close vote shows Regina city council split on massage parlour strategy despite public calls for ban - Regina Leader-Post

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"Its unfortunate. As a councillor I've listened to the residents of Regina, and they spoke loud and clear that they wanted a ban in this city."

Ed Smith (right) says he's disappointed by city council's decision not to ban massage parlours in Regina. TROY FLEECE / Regina Leader-Post


A brief moment of silence flooded the room after a five-to-six vote struck down Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani’s motion for an outright ban on massage parlours during a special city council meeting Monday night.

Bresciani shook her head in disappointment, and the silence was quickly broken when several delegations that had spoken ardently in favour of a ban rose from their seats and left the room in a rush.

“Its unfortunate,” said Bresciani after the meeting. “As a councillor I’ve listened to the residents of Regina, and they spoke loud and clear that they wanted a ban in this city.”

Residents have been persistent with their message ever since talk of regulation began, including Ed Smith, whose 18-year-old daughter was found murdered in Victoria, B.C. in 1990 after being recruited into the sex trade.

“I was disappointed, of course, that the banning option did not pass,” said Smith in an interview Tuesday. “Licensing and that kind of thing is, to me, an admission that these body rub parlours are acceptable, and in my view they are not acceptable in our community.”

Smith has been tireless in his efforts to promote a ban on massage parlours, including participating in public consultations in March and presenting at past city council and executive committee meetings.

In his submission to council Monday night, he wrote about the need to show women and girls that the city will do everything it can to protect them. Smith said the city is deceiving itself if it thinks regulations, licensing and bylaws is the way to do that.

He was, however, encouraged by how close the vote was.

Seconded by Ward 7 Coun. Sharron Bryce, Bresiciani’s motion was also supported by Ward 5 Coun. John Findura, Ward 2 Coun. Bob Hawkins and Mayor Michael Fougere.

Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani still feels a ban on massage parlours should be the direction the city is going. Arthur White-Crummey / Regina Leader-Post


Six councillors, including Ward 10 Coun. Jerry Flegel, Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens, Ward 8 Coun. Mike O’Donnell, Ward 4 Coun. Joel Murray, Ward 1 Coun. Barbara Young and Ward 9 Coun. Jason Mancinelli voted against a ban.

“A number of the councillors I think really got a hold of the harm that is being done to our community,” said Smith.

The focus now, he said, needs to be on “realistic and workable” exit strategies for the women working in massage parlours, now that council has voted in favour of regulating the industry through licensing and Zoning Bylaw changes.

Lisa Miller, who presented on behalf of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre (RSAC) on Monday night, said they struggled to settle on what position they were going to take.

“My gut is get rid of all of them because when they’re there we normalize it, but from an agency’s position we need to ensure that this particular demographic is provided as much safety as possible,” said Miller, who is RSAC’s executive director.

But she said massage parlours are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issue of human trafficking in Regina, and more work needs to be done to combat the wider problem.

In the end, RSAC supported regulations with some conditions, including a call for criminal record and background checks on owners, a licensing framework that mandates workplace safety sessions and opportunities for contact with supportive community agencies, and ways to support women who want to exit the trade.

Even so, she said RSAC struggles with the idea of “supporting something that perpetuates attitudes towards women where their lives and experiences are diminished.”

Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens, who voted against a ban, called on council to adopt of progressive harm-reduction approach.

“Criminalization has failed. This is going down a road that has failed repeatedly for decades. Why do we entertain it?,” said Stevens. “Licensing, for all it’s flaws, is the best way forward.”

Research shows, he said, that a ban will lead to worse health and safety outcomes for workers.

But Bresciani disagrees.

“Police across Canada and into the U.S., they struggle with massage parlours and they struggle with regulation,” she said. “When you talk to women who have been in the trade and have gotten out, they absolutely say a ban.”

While council was split on how do address the issue of massage parlours in Regina, they all agreed on one thing — the safety of workers is paramount.

It’s the reason they were also divided on an amendment to administration’s recommendations that would require workers as well as owners to be licensed.

“I think the idea there is just to protect them and help them,” said Mayor Michael Fougere who supported the idea. “The other side of that one is privacy issues and the threat that can happen if (the workers) are known.”

Mayor Michael Fougere. BRANDON HARDER / Regina Leader-Post


In the end, the amendment was defeated, six to five.

Despite voting in favour of a ban, Fougere said he wasn’t disappointed in council’s decision to regulate instead.

“This is what democracy is all about,” he said after Monday’s meeting. “All delegations were heard. I think they were very articulate and very persuasive and had a lot of emotion in what they were speaking about, but this is democracy where members of council are expected to balance different positions.”

Administration will now flesh out the nitty gritty details of a regulatory framework to be brought back to council in March 2020 for further review.

A more detailed report regarding Zoning Bylaw changes will come before the Planning and Priorities Committee sometime before then, which will take into account some concerns voiced by councillors Monday night.

Ward 1 Coun. Barbara Young was adamant that massage parlours not be allowed in industrial areas like the current recommendations propose, and Bresciani would like the proposed one-block separation distance to be applied to residential zones as well as schools, churches, daycares and other massage parlours.

Even though he didn’t get the ban he’d hoped for, Smith said he felt his voice was heard by city council, and Miller recognized the difficulty of the choices laid before council Monday night.

“It was a lesser of two evils,” said Miller. “I felt there wasn’t anybody in that room that didn’t struggle with what this should look like.”

jackerman@postmedia.com

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