Regina city council to vote on zoning for body rub parlours

Regina’s city councillors are set to vote Monday evening on a bylaw for how body rub parlours will be regulated and allowed to operate in the city.

Specifically, the bylaw seeks to restrict body rub parlours only to industrial areas of the city.

As city administrators researched and consulted on regulating the businesses throughout the year, they filed a report recommending the city’s priorities and planning committee allow the parlours to operate in major arterial commercial zones, like areas along Victoria Avenue, in addition to industrial zone areas.

But the priorities and planning committee voted down that recommendation on Nov. 20.

It also proposed the amendment to the bylaw, which seeks to keep the parlours working only in industrial zones.

That will leave councillors with the following item to vote on at Monday’s meeting, according to a meeting agenda: “That allowing massage parlours as a permitted use exclusively in industrial zones (light industrial) and (heavy industrial), be approved and that Administration report back within one year on any impacts of this change.”

City administration and councillors adopted the term body rub parlours to identify those that exchange sexual services for money, and to avoid confusion with licensed therapeutic massage businesses.

In September, councillors voted 6-5 to have city administrators regulate body rub parlours.

Among the delegates who submitted written statements to council on the vote is community organizer Shayna Stock.

Stock is speaking on behalf of three body rub parlour owners who are remaining anonymous to the public, but are available to speak individually with city councillors.

The parlour owners said in a submitted written statement, “we do find it kind of notable that with all the discussion that has gone on with this matter, as far as we know, nobody from council has made any attempt to contact any of the owners at any time. City administration did make an effort to contact the spa owners and many did meet with city staff. Some of our thoughts were included in their recommendations to you.”

The owners are asking councillors “not to change the bylaw to restrict parlours to industrial zones only. We are also asking you to make parlours ‘permitted’ use and not ‘discretionary’ use.”

The owners want to see council agree with recommendations from city police and administrators that the parlours be allowed to operate in major arterial commercial zones.

The three owners also say in their statement that they are the workers. “There is only one or at most two ladies working in each parlour. These are not like the big spas you see in Edmonton or Vancouver where 10 to 12 ladies may be working.”

The owners say that most of the discussion about parlour owners “to be misinformed speculation … The owners are the workers. We are not human traffickers. We are not exploiting workers. We are not members of organized crime. We are not victims. We are not pimping underage, vulnerable, desperate drugged-up girls. We are not the scum of the earth. To hear these accusations from some presenters and echoed by some City Councillors is hurtful, simply wrong, borders on slander and reeks of prejudice. This is what we are. We are Canadian citizens, or we are Permanent Residents.”