Some municipalities are defining the word "Escort" improperly here in Canada!

Awesome, two thumns u p:p

municipalities do have the right to create by-laws of their own governing things within their jurisdiction under the Municipal Government Act.

Yes, they do but they can not make these by-laws based on "Moral" reasons. They must be fair and just and must have a valid reason. Smoking in the presence of others endangers those other people unwillingly. This is not a "Moral" reason but a public safety concern. By-Laws are NOT part of the criminal code. You can not go to jail for breaking a by-law. The resources a municipality has to collect by-law fines are as follows.

• Additional court and administrative costs
  
• Collection enforcement
  
• Licence suspension
  
• Involvement by 3rd party collection agencies
  
• Credit problems

In other words they can take your license if you paid for one, they can continue to fine you and they can send a collection agency after you if you refuse to pay the fines and that would mess up your credit. By-Law offenses are not criminal code and it does not go on your police record.

The story about the SP who was entrapped? Do you know if that arrest actually stood up in court? What jurisdiction was that in again?

They offered her a choice of a charge or a 3 day "Hooker Camp" where she is sent off to a resort with streetwalkers and councilors. As most of the ladies do she took the 3 day vacation to avoid the criminal charge and court.

You don't think that writing letters and voicing your concerns make a difference? They do. For every letter a politician receives, they know full well that one letter represents the views of a thousand people who don't, so it's important we make a noise.

So very true! And you must unite and work together! That is the last thing they want (and expect). You must educate yourselves and each other and stand up for your rights, know your criminal code laws as knowledge is power in this world.

To clarify, I said by-laws were "tacked on to" or around the criminal code.

For example: the criminal code doesn't state that people who are taxi drivers can't get taxi licenses if they have an offense, however, some jurisdictions will not allow a prospective taxi driver to get a license if they've been charged under the criminal code for an offense. In the town I am referring to, it was never an issue until one of the taxi drivers in town got caught selling drugs from his cab. Town council then quickly enacted a new by-law to cope with this one-off situation.

No, you can't go to jail for a by-law offense, but I guess my whole point was that these by-laws make it difficult to operate. They're aimed at what an individual municipality views as a "problem". The thrust of my response was meant to speak to the idea that municipalities frequently enact by-laws willy-nilly in an attempt to create a mine field for what they perceive to be a "nuisance".

Frankly, I'm offended that my profession is still considered a "nuisance" - I wish as a society we were more mature as a whole.

My reply was just to clarify (I would hate to have someone read the thread and assume that a by-law was some how connected to a criminal code) the by-law enforcement officers in many cities scare the ladies, they act and say things that are intended to scare them. I feel it's important to let the ladies know that by-law and criminal law are VERY different.

By-Law offenses have no criminal record or jail time and Jillian is absolutely right that the city uses (abuses) these powers to try to cope with anything they think is a "public nuisance" such as escorts, street walkers, pan handlers, and so on. They make people believe that these by-laws are actually real LAW's and really it's just a way for the politicians to say "Look we are trying to deal with this - see what we have done" to all the people who complain about such things.

I would think that 95% of the people who consider escorts a nuisance are religious activists with moral hangups about the sex trade and I would guess that less then 5% are people who live close to a incall location and realize what all the in and out traffic is (A reason why incall locations are still illegal). People are opposed to the industry for other reasons (moral reasons mostly) but I can't see these others thinking it is a nuisance.

I believe what is happening is streetwalkers are being grouped in with the escorts ... We all know that is not the case! Sure they have the same job but the environment but most of the population does not realize that "streetwalkers" and "Escorts" are very very different.

The property owners, business owners and general public are exposed to the streetwalkers all the time in specific area's and I am sure they continually call and visit mp's and raise a fuss about this - demanding that action be taken to fix it.

Some cities are going to even greater lengths by asking the local police to accompany the by-law officers and try to entrap a few ladies into public solicitation (so that they can stir some fear in the ladies). Yes, they are actually doing this! You can read a thread here on cerb where one lady was tricked into going for a drink at the bar in the lobby of the hotel where she met her date... the date tried to talk to her about sex acts and next thing you know she was being arrested. Yes this is entrapment and she did know better... but I guess she felt the conversation was private enough and he was a good actor (she paid the price) but this is low! She did not want to go to the bar to have a drink with this person and he pretty much demanded it just so he could trick her and charge her. Nice eh! Makes me sick too!

Thanks for the information! Another reason not to set up an initial meeting in public.

I wish society as a whole would grow up a bit. Having lived and worked in Europe, where they appear to have a more mature outlook, what we do isn't even on the radar. Our profession operates above board and is treated as just another service provider. Some days I'm tempted to go back there, realizing of course that would be sad.

Unfortunately that seems to be changing. With all this trafficking hysteria going on, England is considering passing Swedish-style laws, and Germany and The Netherlands are put under pressure to change their liberal policies. They recently closed around 1/3 of Amsterdam's red light windows and before that some even suggested that all of them should be closed.

I wish that they would leave the escorts alone and target the pimps and the abusive agency owners instead. That would be a much more intelligent way to enforce laws.

Joyful C, I would never wish you to think I've misrepresented myself about anything. Privately we've been discussing legal issues and you've given me valuable guidance.

We all know a little bit about a few things - I understand how the authorities work, what the overall legal framework in Canada looks like, who is responsible for enacting laws and by-laws in which areas. I've worked for and around lawyers and within every level of government. Doesn't make me an expert - hope I didn't come off trying to sound like one.

I'm still learning new things every day. :)

Some municipalities are defining the word "Escort" improperly here in Canada!

 

In municipal by-law's some cities here in Canada have defined the word "Escort" as a person who goes on paid dates but does not participate in sexual acts with clients in exchange for money. They do this as they want to license escorts but they do not want to accept that the escorts are having sex for the money (that would make them pimps and pimping or "living off the avails" is illegal in Canada).

 

We all know that the term "Escort" is a person who is a "Sexual service provider" also known as such things as a "Call girl", "Courtesan", "Prostitute", "hooker", "Whore", "Harlot", and many other names. Many of the names are demeaning and not respectful as we all know so the ladies choose to use better words such as "Escort" so that they are not grouped in with the women who solicit sex illegally on the street (Also illegal in Canada).

 

In Canada being paid for sex is legal and paying for sex is also legal. What is not legal is pimping, underage of 18, public solicitation / communicating / procuring for the purpose of sex and keeping a bawdy-house.

 

Your common "out-call" service provider who does not solicit in public, does not have a pimp, is of legal age and charges for sex is not breaking the law! So why can they not call themselves a "Escort" in some municipalities? Because the municipality writes these by-laws defining the word "Escort" to mean something that it is not!

 

Most municipalities do this to try to get rid of the ladies. Many of you think they do this because they want to make money off the girls... but that is not true! They don't want the girls in the cities at all. They want to force them to move to another city or quit being a prostitute all together. They use any revenue made from the licenses to further police (and I say police but remember they are not real police they are paid city officials that are actually by-law enforcement and can not charge anyone with a criminal code charge - as much as some will try to make you believe they have this power)

 

Some cities are going to even greater lengths by asking the local police to accompany the by-law officers and try to entrap a few ladies into public solicitation (so that they can stir some fear in the ladies). Yes, they are actually doing this! You can read a thread here on cerb where one lady was tricked into going for a drink at the bar in the lobby of the hotel where she met her date... the date tried to talk to her about sex acts and next thing you know she was being arrested. Yes this is entrapment and she did know better... but I guess she felt the conversation was private enough and he was a good actor (she paid the price) but this is low! She did not want to go to the bar to have a drink with this person and he pretty much demanded it just so he could trick her and charge her. Nice eh! Makes me sick too!

 

A note to the municipalities, We know many by-law guys and probably city officials read sites like this. You should as this should be a big fear for you. Bulling people is fun until all the people you bully get together and form a community and rise up against you!

 

The definition of a ESCORT is "a person who provides a SEXUAL SERVICE to a customer and exchanges SEX for MONEY" - For your information... this is LEGAL in Canada!

 

Just because you make a by-law that redefines the word "ESCORT" to suit your needs it will not hold up in court!

 

You can not pass a by-law based on your MORAL REASONS and you can not charge a ESCORT a LICENSE FEE knowing that they have sex for money as this makes your city a PIMP and you are in turn LIVING OFF THE AVAILS OF PROSTITUTION and you are breaking the law!!

 

With the INTERNET and communities like this one here on CERB the ladies are starting to UNITE and work together!

 

Activist groups are now challenging the laws in court that take rights away from sex trade workers - don't think that this will not trickle down to the municipalities who are also taking away legal rights of people!

 

It will not be long till you bully the ladies enough in your city that they unite and challenge your moral based by-law in court. It will end up costing your city a fair amount of money and one nasty slap on the hand to tell you that you can not take rights away from people who are not breaking the law (just because you don't like what they do for a living!)

 

You should take the advise of your town lawyers who have probably told you that passing a by-law like this can backfire, it's only a matter of time before the ladies unite against you (any many men support them - every day more are supporting the ladies publicly as well as it's not so taboo any more to employee the services of a sex trade worker. It is the oldest profession as you know!

 

Keep in mind that with todays technology (the internet) it's much easier to communicate and form communities (Like this one) you and other cities could bully the ladies in the past (knowing they would not group together) but you are very wrong if you think that will continue in this day and age... it simply will not hold true!

Bottom line... No matter what you do you will not get rid of prostitution in your city - Too much need and demand for it - let's face it... if no demand existed you would not have such a large number of ladies working in the profession now would you!?!

Tums uppp :)

when I decided to become an escort, I did not think that I was the same like a prositute or ho like some of them call it. I am an escort, yes, but I don't think I am a prositute and would definately not call myself a ho.

A escort as I know it from my home country is a person who offers to accompany a person to social events and not necessary to have intimate relations.

If the definition of an escort is a prositute, I rather be a companion.

cheers

Chayenne

Hi chayenne, many words exist that mean the same thing and are left to a persons interpretation. It's how the words are used in context and the derogatory slang words that make them bad words or offensive. In Canada prostitution is legal but in some cities being a "Escort" (by definition of the cities by-law) requires a license. If you do not offer sexual services for money and you are "Escorting" people to social events and such then you should get a license from the city as you would fall under the cities "Escort" by-law. The license does not give you permission to have sex with customers (in fact some municipal by-laws for "escorts" prohibit such actions).

Paying for a license that does not permit you to do your job would be foolish... and it would be like getting a taxi license to be a prostitute (it just would not make sense) so review the by-law and if it says it is for "prostitution" and you sell sex for money then you need a license (and that would make the city your pimp as they would be living off the avails of your prostitution work and that as we all know if illegal in Canada).

If it says "You can not exchange sex for money" or something simular then it would not apply to you if you sell sex for money as you are a prostitute and do not fall under the cities by-law license for escort or companion.

If you offer sexual services in exchange for money in Canada then you then you are a prostitute (Don't be ashamed of that word! It is not a bad word! This is only a bad word when used in a derogatory way by someone who is too close minded or has some moral objection to sex workers.

Since prostitution is legal in Canada calling yourself a prostitute and following the canadian criminal code laws on how to be a prostitute in Canada legally would help you (if you sell sexual services) but... If you call yourself a "escort" or "Companion" and back that up with the claim that you do not offer any sexual services then you do need a license and these boards are not for you. Keep in mind that the license you are paying for is to police you to make sure you do not have sex with customers so make sure you are a real escort by your cities definition!

If you sell sexual services and you are making these claims thinking that you are avoiding some law (Like you see on TV or in the USA and other countries where prostitution is illegal) then you will probably be forced to pay for a license to be a escort and you will be agreeing in most cases not to have sex with your customers so you would be breaking the by-law if you have sex with any customers.

It's not the words that are really offensive it's the way they are used. Words like hooker, prostitute, harlot, courtesan, stripper, etc... are only words and should not offend you if you are a sex worker. I think most of the ladies however take offense to whore and Hoe as they really only have a demeaning context.

Educate people and be proud of what you do and be proud to live in Canada where we are educated enough to know prostitution is a very much needed service and it is not up to others to decide if it is right or wrong. Unfortunately so many people are morally opposed to the idea and brought up to think sex is so wrong and selling sex is such a sin.

That has always bothered me - not only the municipal escort license fees, which are usually higher than the fees for any other business license, but also the advertising fees, which are also sometimes higher. When Nanaimo set the business license fee for escort services, it was in the newspaper that a city councilperson said something to the effect that they didn't want to set a fee that would "encourage" a lot of people to open agencies. I call that restraint of trade, and I also call it living off the avails because prostitution is legal in this country and they know what's going on because in Nanaimo you have to meet with RCMP to get the license and they make it very clear that they know what's going on. Also, if you get a massage license and city hall finds out you're doing more than that, they call you up and tell you you have to get an escort license, which is much more expensive than a massage license. Basically, what they're saying when they call is "We know you're providing sexual services so we want more money". I find that really disgusting. A day trader can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and he only pays $110 for his business license, but an escort has to pay $3,000.

I have never been ashamed of what I do, but I think that people who try to cash in on it, especially city officials, should be ashamed of themselves.

I very much enjoyed reading this post and the tenacity that mod has! Kudos to you!

Canada already has the fairest prostitution laws of any country on this planet. If all the authorities and powers-that-be would both honour and enforce them, we'd have no problem. The trouble arises when some municipalities try to make up their own rules, either by way of arbitrary enforcement policies or bylaws.

..c..

Are you aware of the laws in New Zealand? IMO they are far superior to those in Canada. While in Ontario they started the fight to decriminalize the prostitution law, it's not quite there yet.

I don't know about how others feel but if something really went wrong and I needed to call the police, it would be nice to know they aren't going to arrest or charge me for being there.

Hopefully the new law will come out of its suspension and be placed in effect.

I read an article that quoted a female Police supervisor saying that virtually every condo and apartment building in Toronto has a provider.

Somehow, they manage to keep the peace, despite everyone's fears and police interventions. It's been operating like this for a very long time.

All the new laws need to do is protect the sp's working in these buildings and homes.