Body rub parlours following the rules, report says

However, some say there is still work to do to make sure the industry is safe

Body rub parlours in Edmonton have a 99 per cent compliance rate, the community and public services committee heard Wednesday.

The annual report on the industry said 26 recommendations by the body rub centres task force implementation team have been largely carried out.

But not everyone agreed. “On paper, it looks good,” said Kate Quinn, executive director of the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation.

“There is still a lot more work to be done.”

Quinn was disappointed the committee members did not ask more questions.

“I mean, those recommendations are from four years ago,” she said. “Things changed so much in the industry.”

She said her organization gets a range of reports from women who’ve been sexually assaulted, harassed, stalked — every form of violence imaginable, and there’s no way to hold their perpetrators accountable.

“Women in body rub parlours phone us, they send us photos of men who have hurt them, but there is little we can do to help them,” Quinn said.

“What can happen behind closed doors … there’s some things the city cannot achieve within this licensing regime.”

There were no statistics provided on how many complaints the Edmonton Police Service receives from the parlours.

Jonathan Kuyt, who has owned Jailey’s Health Studio for about 11 years, said licensing body rub centres is the safest alternative to street prostitution.

“I think one of the biggest problems is that we still don’t admit what we’re doing with this business or what we’re doing in this city,” he said. “And you have to get over that hurdle first and you have to understand that the city has tried to legitimize this to make it safer.”

He said municipal enforcement officers visit about every two months, and also conduct surveys and interviews.

“When you’re forced to hold your nose to the grindstone, you run a better business,” he said.

Kuyt said he decided to go to council meetings because he realized only opponents of the industry attended, and were heard by council.

“I think that’s a little outdated. I think it’s time to show that there’s another view to this and there’s different way of running this.”

Coun. Tim Cartmell said the city was in a tough spot.

“It suggests that we are encouraging this social ill — if you will — and that is absolutely not the case,” he said. “We’re trying to do the best we can and to reduce harm to people who have found themselves (vulnerable) in this world.”