The establishment of a city bylaw would help oversee body rub parlours in the city and decrease the potential for women and girls to be dragged into the seedy world of human trafficking, says the head of the Barrie Police Services Board.
In a recent memo to city council to assist in the development of a bylaw to regulate and possibly license body rub parlours, Barrie Police Services Board chair Angela Lockridge notes the city's zoning regulations "strictly" prohibit such establishments within the city limits.
However, Lockridge says Barrie police are aware of "numerous known body rub parlours" within the municipal boundaries.
If the City of Barrie had a bylaw that licensed and regulated body rub parlours, she says the city's bylaw enforcement officers and police officers would have additional authority to enter and inspect the businesses "assisting to keep young women and girls from falling victim to human trafficking."
The police services board has recommended the city amend its zoning bylaws to regulate and permit body rub parlours, as well as develop a bylaw to license the businesses.
However, Deputy Mayor Barry Ward questions whether a bylaw regulating such establishments would help.
"I am a little confused about the issue," Ward told BarrieToday. "Last week, council was told there was no value in licensing rental housing near Georgian College because it gave city bylaw enforcement staff no more power to enforce zoning and property standards issues than they have now."
It would also create more bureaucracy, "with fees being levied for the sole purpose of covering the bureaucracy created," he added. "I agreed with that position and voted against licensing rental housing."
However, the situation with body rub parlours seems to have a different way of thinking.
"Now, we are being asked to licence body rub parlours for the same reason: it would improve enforcement, especially on such matters as human trafficking," Ward said. "I would suspect police already know where the body rub parlours are located and the Criminal Code has sufficient measures for police to deal with human trafficking, which I agree is a serious problem.
"I’ll support getting a staff report on the matter, but I will have to be convinced we are actually doing something which will have a positive effect on the situation," the deputy mayor added.
Changes to the Criminal Code make it illegal to purchase or advertise sexual services and illegal to live on the "material benefits" from the sex trade.
"Those who exchange their own sexual services for consideration are immunized from prosecution for their participation in the commission of offences because they are understood to be victims in need of support and assistance," Lockridge said.
However, there are often many females who are not being exploited and profit as business owners utilizing sexual services, she added.
Ward, who was first elected to city council in 2000, says the issue of body rub parlours has been a quiet one.
"I don’t remember ever getting a complaint about body rub parlours in all my time on council," he said.
