The city of St. John’s is moving towards the end of its moratorium on massage parlours.
At city hall last night council voted unanimously to move ahead with new development regulations relating to massage parlours.
The proposed regulations will allow the parlours in a number of commercial districts, but puts restrictions on how close they can be to residential neighbourhoods, apartment buildings, schools, daycares, places of worship, and the War Memorial.
The city notes the new rules only govern what happens with the buildings themselves. The province would be responsible for licensing the parlours and regulating the profession if they so choose, and the investigation of criminal activities is the sole responsibility of the police.
Now there is a process set in place: zoning and siting amendments to the regulations will come and there is clarity that the moratorium will be lifted as soon as these are done. Anticipate this process will take a few months.
— Maggie Burton (@mmburton) September 30, 2019
The new regulations, when approved by the province, will end the moratorium. However, that process could take several months to complete.
Praise from SHOP, But Concerns Over Affected Voices Being Drowned Out
Meanwhile, the Safe Harbour Outreach Project says while it is great to see the city actively engaging with such a complex issue, they are worried about delays in the process.
Part of what council agreed upon is mandatory public engagement on the regulations once they are approved.
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary introduced that as an amendment to the original motion.
A surprising unanimous vote from @CityofStJohns Council to end the punitive ban on massage parlours and move towards #sexworkersrights, after years of advocacy. 🙌 https://t.co/cVEMxeaTp3
— Heather Jarvis (@heatjarvis) September 30, 2019
SHOP Programming Coordinator Heather Jarvis says she is disappointed that public consultations will be mandatory, noting that last year they submitted a report to the city, including 11 letters from sex workers.
She says she hopes the city can balance the voices they’re hearing.
She says there is still a lot of stigma and misinformation in the public about sex work and they want to make sure that the voices of those with lived experience stay at the heart of the discussion.
Councilor Maggie Burton, who introduced the motion, says she was not in favour of a mandatory public consultation but she supported it to get her motion passed so the moratorium can be lifted as soon as possible. She says she will make sure the consultations move as quickly as it can.
Earlier Story
St. John’s City Council has voted unanimously in favour of lifting its existing ban on massage parlours—but it will be some time before any changes are set in stone.
The capital city originally cracked down on the parlours in 2015, prompted by concerns from residents.
Councillor Maggie Burton brought forward a motion to lift the moratorium. She says the move is not a simple reversal of the ban, but will include the development of a separate designation for massage parlours.
Having received unanimous support, the city will begin the process to life the restriction. Burton notes, however, that it will not be an overnight change.
The process could take upwards of three months to complete, including required public engagement on the issue.
Council clarified that the consultation process will not influence whether the ban is cleared. Rather, it will help shape the regulations on businesses looking to establish themselves in the capital city.
