Report to/Rapport au :

 

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comite des services communautaires et de protection

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

3 April 2007 / le 3 avril 2007

 

Submitted by/Soumis par :

Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/ Directeur municipal adjoint,

Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de protection

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource ; Susan Jones, Director

By-law Services/Service des reglements municipaux

(613) 580-2424 x25536, susan.jones@ottawa.ca

 

 

City Wide/ À L'échelle De La Ville

Ref N°: ACS2007-CPS-BYL-0010

 

 

SUBJECT :    LICENSING BY-LAW 2002-189 –  – AMENDMENTS – LIMITING NUMBERS AND LOCATIONS OF BODY RUB PARLOURS

 

OBJET :         REGLEMENT MUNICIPAL 2002-189 SUR LES PERMIS – SALONS DE MASSAGE – MODIFICATIONS – LIMITER  LE NOMBRE ET L’EMPLACEMENT DE SALON DE MASSAGE

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council approve amendments to Licensing By-law No. 2002-189, Schedule 20 relating to Body Rub Parlours to:

a.         Limit the number of available Body Rub Parlour licences to thirty six (36);

b.         Recognize Body Rub Parlour locations that are currently licensed;

c.         Prohibit new Body Rub Parlours from locating within 1,000 metres of another Body Rub Parlour or Adult Entertainment Parlour; and 500 metres from schools, places of worship, daycares, public libraries, community centres, public parks or residential zones;

 

 

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil municipal d’approuver des modifications au Règlement no 189-2002 sur les permis, afin :

a.         de limiter à 36 le nombre de permis pouvant être accordés pour l’exploitation d’un salon de massage;

b.         de reconnaître les salons de massage actuellement autorisés;

c.         d’interdire l’ouverture d’un salon de massage à 1 000 mètres ou moins d’un autre établissement semblable ou d’un salon de divertissement pour adultes, et à 500 mètres ou moins d’une école, d’un lieu de culte, d’un centre de garde de jour, d’une bibliothèque publique, d’un centre communautaire, d’un parc public ou d’un secteur de la ville ou  le zonage permet une utilisation résidentielle.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

On September 14, 2005, Council enacted City-wide Body Rub Parlour licensing regulations and directed staff to report back to the Community and Protective Services Committee in eighteen months on the status of licensed body rub establishments.

 

Staff recommends that the Body Rub Parlour regulations be amended as follows to:

(a)                Limit the number of available Body Rub Parlour licenses to thirty-six;

(b)               Recognize the locations of existing Body Rub Parlours that are currently licensed;

(c)        Prohibit new Body Rub Parlours from locating within 1,000 metres of another Body Rub Parlour or Adult Entertainment Parlour; and 500 metres from schools, places of worship, daycares, public libraries, community centres, public parks or residential zones;

 

The proposed amendments reflect the location restrictions for Adult Entertainment Parlours as prescribed in Licensing By-law 2002-189.  These restrictions are also currently being considered for inclusion in the new Zoning By-law. Adoption of these regulations will help control resources related to monitoring and enforcement.

 

A notice appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Sun and Le Droit on March 30 and April 6, 2007, advising of the recommendation and inviting the public to present their comments, supports or objections in writing before April 12, or in person at the April 19, 2007, Community and Protective Services Committee meeting at which the recommendation will be considered.  A similar notice was mailed to licensed Body Rub Parlour operators during the week of March 26, 2007.

 

RÉSUMÉ

 

Le 14 septembre 2005, le Conseil municipal a adopté des règlements concernant le permis d’exploiter un salon de massage et demandé au personnel de présenter au Comité des services communautaires et de protection 18 mois plus tard un rapport sur l’état des établissements de massage autorisés.

 

Le personnel a recommandé les modifications suivantes aux règlements sur l’exploitation d’un salon de massage :

a)                  limiter à 36 le nombre de permis pouvant être accordés pour l’exploitation d’un salon de massage;

b)                  reconnaître les salons de massage actuellement autorisés;

c)                  interdire l’ouverture d’un salon de massage à 1 000 mètres ou moins d’un établissement semblable ou d’un salon de divertissement pour adultes, et à 500 mètres ou moins d’une école, d’un lieu de culte, d’un centre de garde de jour, d’une bibliothèque publique, d’un centre communautaire, d’un parc public ou d’un secteur de la ville ou  le zonage permet une utilisation résidentielle.

 

Les modifications proposées tiennent compte des restrictions relatives aux emplacements énoncées dans la section consacrée aux salons de divertissement pour adultes du Règlement no 2002-189 sur les permis. Le personnel examine actuellement la possibilité d’intégrer ces restrictions au nouveau Règlement de zonage. Les nouvelles exigences faciliteront le contrôle des ressources utilisées pour la surveillance et l’application des règlements.

 

Un avis à cet effet est paru dans les éditions du 30 mars et du 6 avril 2007 des quotidiens LeDroit, l’Ottawa Citizen et l’Ottawa Sun afin de rendre la recommandation publique et d’inviter les résidents à faire part au Comité des services communautaires et de protection de leurs commentaires et de leur avis sur la question, par écrit au plus tard le 12 avril 2007, ou en personne à la réunion du 19 avril 2007, au cours de laquelle la recommandation sera examinée. Un avis semblable a été envoyé par la poste aux propriétaires de salons de massage pendant la semaine du 26 mars 2007.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The Municipal Act, Part IV entitled “LICENCES”, empowers municipalities to pass by-laws to license and regulate certain businesses. In addition to the standard licensing powers the Act makes it possible to further regulate “adult entertainment establishments” by allowing municipalities to limit their numbers and prescribe the area in which the “adult entertainment establishment” may or may not operate.

 

Section 154 (2) of the Municipal Act defines “adult entertainment establishment” as follows: 

154 (2) Any premises or any part of them is an adult entertainment establishment if, in the pursuance of a business,

(a)     goods, entertainment or services that are designated to appeal to erotic or sexual appetites or inclinations are provided in the premises or part of the premises; or

(b)    body-rubs, including the kneading, manipulating, rubbing, massaging, touching or stimulating by any means of a person’s body, are performed, offered or solicited in the premises or part of the premises, excluding premises or part of them where body-rubs performed, offered or solicited are for the purpose of medical or therapeutic treatment and are performed or offered by persons otherwise duly qualified, licensed or registered to do so under a statute of Ontario.    

 

On September 14, 2005, Council enacted City-wide Body Rub Parlour licensing regulations and directed staff to report back to the Community and Protective Services Committee in eighteen (18) months on the status of these licensed establishments.

 

Since enactment, thirty-two (32) Body Rub Parlour licenses have been issued, and an additional four (4) applications are currently pending until final approvals are given from the Zoning, Building, Fire and Health Services.  Community and Protective Services and the Ottawa Police Service believe the actual number of Body Rub Parlours operating in the City to be significantly higher.  The actual number and locations are difficult to determine due to the mobile nature of the business and the fact that many operate through word of mouth rather than advertising. 

 
DISCUSSION

 

Recommendation 1(a)   (Limit the number of available Body Rub Parlour licences to thirty six (36).)

 

By-law and Regulatory Services recommends restricting the number of available Body Rub Parlour licenses to thirty-six to reflect the thirty (32) licensed Body Rub Parlour currently operating in the City and allows for the four (4) pending license applications to be processed and related licenses to be issued. 

 

Limiting the number of Body Rub Parlours is consistent with current regulations that effectively limit the number of Adult entertainment Parlours in Ottawa.  Under the Municipal Act both “Adult Entertainment Parlours” and “Body Rub Parlours” are considered “adult entertainment establishments” and may be regulated in a similar manner. 

 

Members of the Dalhousie Community Safety Committee have expressed concerns regarding the current Body Rub Parlour regulations and have asked the Ottawa Police Service to investigate these establishments.  Some of the Association’s concerns came from an article printed in the Globe and Mail that told of RCMP arresting 108 people in massage parlour raids in B.C. 

 

Recommendation 1(b) 

 

The recommendation proposes to allow existing licensed Body Rub Parlours to continue operating at their current locations.  Requiring businesses to relocate may have a detrimental impact on their client base and create unnecessary hardship on the licensed businesses already operating in accordance with the current Licensing By-law.

 

If approved, the attached amending by-law will modify Schedule 20 relating to Body Rub Parlours to include a list of all currently licensed “body rub parlours”.  The list will be amended from time to time to delete the addresses of those body rub parlours that have had their licenses revoked, that have failed to renew their licenses or that have otherwise ceased to operate from the location. 

 

This will allow for new businesses to locate at the same address if there are under thirty-six existing parlours but only if that location falls under the location restrictions proposed in this report.  Removing the address from the list will prevent a new Body Rub Parlour from moving into the premises if the location does not meet the proposed location restrictions as detailed in recommendation 1(c) or fails to meet zoning requirements. 

 

Recommendation 1 (c) 

 

As mentioned above, the Municipal Act of Ontario defines Body Rubs within the regulations related to adult entertainment establishments.  As such, it is fitting that regulations related to body rub parlours and adult entertainment parlours be consistent.  Staff deems it appropriate therefore to prohibit new Body Rub Parlours from locating within 1,000 metres of another Body Rub Parlour or Adult Entertainment Parlour; and 500 metres from schools, places of worship, daycares, public libraries, community centres, public parks or residential zones.

 

In addition, the City’s new draft zoning by-law will incorporate similar distance restrictions on both Adult Entertainment Parlours and Body Rub Parlours.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

A notice appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Sun and Le Droit on March 30 and April 6, 2007, advising of the recommendation and inviting the public to present their comments, supports or objections in writing before April 12, or in person at the April 19, 2007, Community and Protective Services Committee meeting at which the recommendation will be considered. A similar notice was mailed to licensed Body Rub Parlour operators during the week of March 26, 2007.  BIAs were informed of the report and had no objections to the recommendation.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no financial implications related to the approval of the recommendation.

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

The Community and Protective Services department to administer.  Corporate Services, Legal Services Branch, in consultation with Community and Protective Services to process the proposed amending by-law to Council for enactment.