Police say approx. 10 massage parlours remain in Regina, down from 23 - Regina Leader Post

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"We've had a lot of them basically say, ok, there's probably going to be enforcement, we're done. It's coming, we're not in a proper zone and they just basically quit the business."

A slow shutter speed was used to capture the lights of the Oriental Spa on the 1800 block Broad Street in Regina. Photo by TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

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It’s been a little more than a year since a six-month grace period for the city’s massage parlours ended and Regina police say the number of shops operating in the city has dropped from 23 to approximately 10.

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“Through educating them, we’ve had a lot of them basically say, OK, there’s probably going to be enforcement, we’re done. It’s coming, we’re not in a proper zone and they just basically quit the business,” Sgt. Casey Ward, a member of the Regina Police Service’s vice unit, said in an interview Wednesday.

Ward said there are about nine to 11 still operating in Regina without licences, but the city continues to work with them to bring them into compliance with licensing regulations that came into effect in October 2020. When asked what the chances are that those who’ve closed their doors have simply gone underground, Ward said, not high.

“We monitor BREs (body rub establishments), but we also have the ability to monitor the underground,” he said. “So, it’s not like they just shut their doors, but they’re running it out of somewhere else.”

While some of those workers have been seen at other shops still operating, he said for the most part the ones that have shut down were run by people outside of Regina and operated with transient workers who have not returned.

And until shops are licensed and are able to be held accountable to those regulations, the RPS remains challenged when it comes to enforcement, Ward said, noting the judicial process to investigate and lay charges is lengthy.

To date, the City of Regina has received just three applications for licensing, all of which have been denied, but it expects to receive “a few more in the future.”

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“We have seen a handful of closures this past year; but recently have had an increase in inquiries into operating a licensed BRE in specific locations around the city,” said an emailed statement provided Wednesday.

Ward said of the shops that have closed down, some have been on Broad Street, Victoria Street and other areas of town. A couple will pop up for a month and then go away for “a little while” he said, but the average number of shops still running remains in that nine to 11 range.

He said progress in the last year is a great first step where a lot of work has been done, and even a position within the vice unit was created to deal solely with this issue. That member meets weekly with the city where updates are provided from both parties.

“We’ve even had people say, hey thanks, that sign hasn’t been on for three or four months,” Ward said of the neon signs, often the subject of complaint by neighbours as they light up the street at all hours of the night.

In December 2019, city council chose to rezone BREs to industrial light (IL) and industrial heavy (IH) zones only as a discretionary use. In September 2020, city council approved mandatory licensing for BREs which came into effect in October 28, 2020.

BREs were given six months starting that October to come into compliance. During that time the city focused on education to encourage business owners to come into line with the bylaws as well as evidence gathering for future enforcement.

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The first step to get a licence is to apply for a development permit. If a permit application is approved, a formal license application would need to be submitted including proof of a completed education session and a certificate of approval from the Regina Police Service.

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