Almost one month after an intensive sex trade and drug investigation in downtown Red Deer, police say sex-trade workers have returned.
“Recently we’ve had concerns expressed by people downtown that sex-trade workers are showing up, so members are being advised of release conditions that were imposed on many of these people,” said Red Deer RCMP Cpl. Kathe DeHeer.
Their return comes as aspects of Canada’s anti-prostitution laws were struck down this week by the Ontario Superior Court. The federal government is going to appeal the decision.
Early in September, Red Deer RCMP charged 10 alleged prostitutes and 11 alleged customers with communication for the purpose of prostitution.
Some of those charged have been ordered by the court to stay out of the downtown. If they breach the condition, they can be charged.
The police investigation ran from June to August after complaints were received about pushy prostitutes.
“There was indications of aggressive tactics being used where a motorist would be stopped at a red light and would be approached. There were indications on a few occasions they (prostitutes) actually opened the door and climbed into the vehicle.”
DeHeer said prostitution in Red Deer has become more overt in the last few years. In order to make the downtown a less desirable place for solicitation, people should call police immediately if they are approached by a sex-trade worker.
“It’s somewhat difficult after the fact if people wait until they get home. Timely information will assist us to deal with it.”
But the sex-trade workers aren’t the only people police are after.
“Those individuals obtaining these services are just as guilty of the crime. If you don’t have clients, you don’t have sex-trade workers.”
On Tuesday, the Ontario court ruled that Canada’s anti-prostitution laws — keeping a common bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of the trade — are unconstitutional because they put sex-trade workers in danger.
Red Deer RCMP Supt. Brian Simpson said it’s business as usual for police since the laws will remain in place for the next 30 days or longer.
He said the impact of the sex trade on the community is substantial, far-reaching and complex, and can involve addiction, mental health, exploitation and human trafficking.
“But the complexity doesn’t mean that we don’t deal with it from an enforcement end,” Simpson said.
“We’re not looking to make these individuals’ lives more difficult. But we also have to look at the community as a whole, not just the individual.”
However, the laws could be rewritten to make it easier for police to do their job as they currently require a large level of expertise and soak up a lot of police resources very quickly, he said.
Jennifer Vanderschaeghe, executive director with Central Alberta AIDS Network Society, said decriminalizing something like prostitution instead of driving it underground provides an opportunity to connect with people and try to get them off the streets.
She said society hasn’t been able to arrest the sex trade away and worries the police crackdown has made sex-trade workers in Red Deer more vulnerable to violence.
“It makes things like the cost of a date go down because it’s more important that they get any money. They are more in need of work. They are less likely to say no to the guy who gives them bad mojo because they need to work.”
It is estimated about 10 per cent of sex-trade workers in Red Deer work on the street. In the past 16 months, workers have reported 20 “bad dates” to CAANS after they were assaulted, raped or robbed by clients.
“That’s more than one bad date a month,” Vanderschaeghe said.
CAANS, a community agency that promotes harm reduction strategies for safer inhalation, safer injection and safer sex, says the next step in helping sex-trade workers is providing support housing for people interested in quitting.
She said it takes time to get out of the sex trade.
“They are so isolated that even when they want to get out they don’t have access to anyone who can help them. Once people realize they have another choice for where to go next, people will take it,” Vanderschaeghe said.
DeHeer said police recognize that sex-trade workers struggle with underlying issues.
“We support any program that is designed to assist somebody in turning their life around and giving them a hand up — whether it’s to overcome addictions or anything — as a good thing.”
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com