Canada: Prostitution Laws Struck Down
 

Ontario Superior Court judge strikes down prostitution law

Ontario's prostitution law fell Tuesday after a judge ruled that it endangers the very women it is meant to protect.

In a landmark decision striking down the core of the controversial law, Ontario Superior Court Judge Susan Himel said that the law forces women to operate their business furtively in an atmosphere of constant secrecy and danger.

"By increasing the risk of harm to street prostitutes, the communicating law is simply too high a price to pay for the alleviation of social nuisance," Judge Himel said in her 131-page ruling which took almost a year to produce.

"I find that the danger faced by prostitutes greatly outweighs any harm which may be faced by the public," she later added.

The ruling means that the law can no longer be enforced in Ontario. If the decision were to be upheld on appeal, it would topple the use of the prostitution provisions across the country.

In the short term, however, the Ontario Crown is expected to seek a stay of execution that would permit police to temporarily continue enforcing the law.

continued..

too bad they won't do the same for weed.

interesting..maybe time to start an incall place..lol

sooo...is there prostitution in Canada or not?

So a judge spend's a year and 131 pages of opinion working out that the law does more harm than good. Yet the police are seeking temporary stay of execution so they can carry on doing more harm than good in the meantime. Great job!

It seems to me that some people in Toronto smoke weed and buy/sell sex on the streets in daylight/nighttime without fear of being arrested by police officers.

i thought escorting was always legal here (for a long time at least) just streetwalking was illegal.

Yes, although prostitution is technically "legal" in Canada, three key provisions of the law made virtually every activity associated with it illegal:

1) Communicating for the purpose of prostitution (in public).
2) Living off the avails.
3) Keeping a common bawdy house (brothel).

This ruling strikes down these three key provisions, and basically gives prostitution a full "legal" footing.

does it strike down all three

i thought the point was that it struck donw the last 2.

effectively allowing prostitution in an incall location but keeping it out of the streets.

ALL three.

"In particular, the litigants challenged three key provisions relating to communicating for the purpose of prostitution, living off the avails and keeping a common bawdy house (brothel).

The litigants would have viewed winning on one of them as a major triumph. They hardly dared to imagine gutting the law entirely.

?We got everything,? the lawyer behind the challenge, Alan Young, yelped as he read the concluding portions of the decision. ?We did it!? "

like i said...time to start an incall...and go big...cash money dough

50/50 ?
I'll get chicks from EU. They don't need visas to Canada :pimp

Typical viscious cycle of the justice system. One arm fights the other

i got the asian hook up

white girls are passe...plus they charge too much..lol

Someone give that judge a fucking medal. Finally someone who understands that there is nothing you can do to stop prostitution (not that anyone should stop it) so make it safer for everyone involved.

that surprising the bawdy house rules, and living off the avails ruling were clearly discrimintory.

they do prevent an escort from working in a safe enviroment, and having any kind of normal relationship, or being allowed to spend the money they earn.

but the communication law does have some merits, the public nusiance aspect, does cross the line, and negatively impacts other people rights.

I agree 100% as long as the phone, e-mail, private residences ..etc all remain "private" as it pertains to "communication" under the law.

the most vunerable ones (drug addict street walkers) won't be helped by this. they'll still be in the streets getting raped, killed.

There is no law that would help them. This helps normal people from getting raped and killed.

the "normal" ones (are there really any "normal" prostitues? most are drug addicts, only real difference is how bad their addiction is *at that time*) real professional prostitutes make up maybe 4% probably..

anyways, the normal ones were already operating behind closed doors. changing these laws might make it easier for them to continue to do so but it will also make it easier for them to be abused in other ways. ie pimping is now legal.

also will police no longer be able to pick up "johns" that are picking up streetwalkers? typically thats how they catch the ones murdering them.

From my interpretation of reading the newspaper today, this is all great news. Bawdy house also meant a prostitute couldn't practice in her own home (which isn't what most people think of when you say "brothel" ie: whole house full of whores.)

Also this challenge to the law was brought to the courts by prostitutes, on a small legal aid budget. Awesome progress.

It says that prostitutes will be able to talk to johns on the street, as long as they don't "hold up traffic" (aka talk to guys through car windows, whether they're in the way or not)

Also the drug addict hookers will have a hard time with this. If this is allowed to go through, they'll get ZERO support from their legal co-workers, just like kiddy porn fucks get ZERO support from us.

It also said hookers could now pay accountants and body guards without the accountants et al fearing for "living off the avails of prostitution".