Regina city council to vote on proposal to regulate body rub establishments

The city is one step closer to regulating body rub establishments after Regina city council’s executive committee voted in favour of it on Wednesday night.

The committee voted 5-4 in favour, meaning its proposal will go to council at the end of the month, where a final decision will be made.

If council accepts the proposal, the city would have more control over hours of operation, employee eligibility criteria and health and safety requirements.

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said although he’s never been fully supportive of the idea of licensing these types of establishments, he believes it’s the best way to protect the workers.

“I just want to make it clear I wasn’t and I’m not in favour of this industry. I think it’s wrong for our city,” Fougere said.

“The majority of council had already agreed to this some time ago and if you’re going to accept that as a promise, then you do the best you can to make sure that these workers are safe.”

Under the new proposal, workers would need to have a government-issued photo ID showing their legal name and age. Workers must also be legally able to work in Canada.

Workers will also be required to complete the Body Rub Establishment Education program once a year.

The program focuses on things like sexual health, personal safety and ways to identify human trafficking risks. It will also help workers exit the industry if they want to.

It will be put in place by the Regina Sexual Assault Centre.

“If they need help, they can get help. That was an important element here — the safety of the worker is very critical,” Fougere said. “This is a dangerous industry where there’s lots of things happening.”

Parlour owners must pay a licence fee of $1,200 and $100 for workers. The establishments must also be approved be the Regina Police Service. They can’t open in between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m.

1:43 ‘Body Rub Establishment’ regulations revealed