Vancouver Escort Agencies Licensed?

[Elm]

I'm curious to know, are Vancouver escort agencies licensed? In particular the ones that advertise with their own websites. I have a good friend visiting the city and he's only willing to visit a licensed facility, due to a run in with LE over a decade ago.

I'd like him to visit a fairly new agency with a recent set of great reviews. I rather not ask the agency directly because I don't want to put them in an awkward spot. I have visited this agency and concur with recent reviews. Not naming the agency because I don't know if the mods are ok with that.

I've tried to figure this out on my own but the by-law situation is confusing in regards to escort agencies.

Any insights would be appreciated.

 

[Elm]

Also does Bill C36 have any effect on this?

 

[Feenix]

Call the City licensing enforcement and ask them, if you don't get the answer here.

 

[Elm]

I tried and got a few non-answers. I'm guessing most of these places are not licensed? Any info on this would be helpful.

 

[Elm]

To my knowledge other cities like Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary are much more stringent on licensing. Vancouver seems to be the capital when it comes to unlicensed shops. Asking shouldn't put the agency in an awkward spot...They're technically supposed to have one. If they did they would have no problem telling you so. And I think most massage parlours will have them posted on the wall. At least thats the way things used to be several years ago...

I agree they should be. But this isn't a massage parlor, it's an incall location in a residential building. That's the way most of these agencies are run. Does the city only hand out a limited amount of licenses? if so it would force sps and agencies into difficult situation.

Google told me this,

Are brothels legal in Canada?

"Prostitution in Canada is legal as there are no laws prohibiting the exchange of sex for money. On the 20th December 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada found the laws prohibiting brothels, public communication for the purpose of prostitution, and living on the profits of prostitution to be unconstitutional."

I'm guessing my friend doesn't need to worry about LE or the VPD, this is a municipal issue instead of a legal issue. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[sdw]

I agree they should be. But this isn't a massage parlor, it's an incall location in a residential building. That's the way most of these agencies are run. Does the city only hand out a limited amount of licenses? if so it would force sps and agencies into difficult situation.

Google told me this,

Are brothels legal in Canada?

"Prostitution in Canada is legal as there are no laws prohibiting the exchange of sex for money. On the 20th December 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada found the laws prohibiting brothels, public communication for the purpose of prostitution, and living on the profits of prostitution to be unconstitutional."

I'm guessing my friend doesn't need to worry about LE or the VPD, this is a municipal issue instead of a legal issue. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes you are wrong. The Conservatives introduced and passed Bill C-36 which makes it legal for the SP to advertise sexual services, BUT illegal for the customer to talk about, request or pay for sexual services.

 

[Elm]

I don't keep up with these things, so forgive me. The conservatives created a law that usurped a decision reached by the supreme court? I didn't know that was possible.

Reading up on this and it seems the VPD is choosing to ignore Bill C-36. So the issue in Vancouver seems to be a municipal one rather then a serious legal one. I could be wrong, I've been wrong before.

 

[VancityDivas]

Not all operations with a name and website are actually registered agencies.

We are licensed, tax paying and working within the confines of our legal system which is noticed right off the bat when compared with ads/written materials by other agencies.. There's limitations.

Residential buildings being used as a shiftwork style Incall is indicative of unlicensed operators. That being said we were outcall only and now do arrange a handful of incall appointments at a models private residence - so not agency operated. We do this because post c36 there's a lot of hesitation from clientele to do outcall bookings sight unseen

In order for Licensed escort agencies to operate incall it must be in a commercial space and the only two I can think of are Fox Den and Swedish Touch.

But there's nothing wrong with reputably run unlicensed agencies as it's the norm in Vancouver. Best to call and book the girl who you think is a good fit and not be bogged down by the rules & regulationS in this industry since there's so many!

Also no there's no limitations to licenses but the owners do have to pass criminal record checks and pay their fees which many won't do. And yes the need for a license is defeated when the 'agency' in question has a handful of girls working 9-5/5-1 at an apartment with 3 rooms and such is their entire operation. It truly depends on the people involved and the company overall when it comes to wanting to put your name behind a business entity

 

[badbadboy]

One of the girls who worked at the place on Oak St said the owners made all the girls get licensed by the City. I never knew Vancouver actually had escort licenses like Victoria, Edmonton and Calgary??

On a similar note, I saw that out of the 176 Marijuana Dispensaries in Vancouver, only 11 are actually licensed.

My guess is not many Massage or Escort agencies are in a similar situation.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-marijuana-dispensaries-only-11-of-176-approved-by-city-1.3290452

 

[badbadboy]

Oh wow I didnt know individual ladies needed them here too. Winnipeg was super strict on licences. We had to go to the city pay a fee and pass a criminal record check. When I moved here the agencies I inquired to work with didnt seem to know what I was talking about when i asked how I get my licence lol. I still have my old wpg one found it a few months ago when I was cleaning out my closets.

The SP I was talking to was listed as the "manager" while all along she was just one of the girls. It actually had an negative effect upon her attempt to leave the industry because her name had the company business name attached to it which was searchable.

I thought it was pretty crappy the owners put the girls names on City licenses presumably to make themselves transparent to the City.

 

[VancityDivas]

Legally speaking yes, all agencies and escorts must be licensed but it's rarely the case here. No one wants to cover themselves legally or pay the tax man. Hence the all so notorious prepaid lines/sublets of incall operations and even some unsavory legally blemishing connections of the owners in question. The years have brought a lot of changes so the regulated section runs well and the independent transgressions as a payee vs payer is in the favor (legally) of the seller working for herself.

The vast majority won't run an agency they handle a few prepaids and advertise the girls as independents while providing the bare minimum, no true brand identity and some taking excessive fees with. There's some unsavory operators, I've heard stories of those who run 30 min focus and say can't do the hr so that they can have more clients through the door to earn a set amount to as far as some sad individuals who give girls quotas based on hh rates and cuts to earn themselves their goal per day. The very unregulated can be a slippery slope to filth considering mandated 'Auditions' to get the job and a extremely high (50%) take. It's quite shocking!

Personally, we're not interested in the fall out from operating so we hire companions not working girls, our interest are more aligned with conducting business in an upright manner, we focus on outcall gentlemen rather than having to deal with an incall crowd (incall Option is in place really to introduce the girls to more people weary of all the escorts out there given c36) ... but a set shift incall can only truly be operated in commercial properties

The funny thing is that all the agencies or more accurately groups here seem to be walking very thin lines in a changing industry one where survival and growth would necessitate the inclusion of the legal system that industry leaders such as Carman Fox and Covergirls has done...

 

[MonaBardot]

The SP I was talking to was listed as the "manager" while all along she was just one of the girls. It actually had an negative effect upon her attempt to leave the industry because her name had the company business name attached to it which was searchable.

I thought it was pretty crappy the owners put the girls names on City licenses presumably to make themselves transparent to the City.

This is so relevant, and a key reason why licensing is not desirable for individual companions. I know very little about the municipal enforcement situation in Vancouver, but I am part of a group in Victoria that is working with our city government to improve conditions for sex workers here.

Escort licenses, like other categories of business licenses, are searchable through the City of Victoria. (And ours cost about 150% more than say, a private consultant's business license, but that's another topic...) In a way, I kind of don't mind paying, even though it feels like protection money, because I feel <i>protected</i>. Legitimate. And then you have situations like this, just south of us in Washington:

"Government open-records requests can be boring. Government open-records requests made by a man who wants to obtain information about 70 licensed strippers in his town so he can "pray for them", on the other hand..."

It's scary, legitimately scary. And Victoria is moving towards more open municipal government, putting more of its records online. In New Zealand, where commercial sex has been decriminalized for a decade, individual workers aren't required to be licensed. They can work together, up to four individuals, before they have to buy a brothel license. This seems safe, sane, and humane, and it's the solution I advocate for here.

 

[PlayfulAlex]

One of the girls who worked at the place on Oak St said the owners made all the girls get licensed by the City. I never knew Vancouver actually had escort licenses like Victoria, Edmonton and Calgary??

For a short period of time, quite a few years ago, I worked for an Outcall Agency (remember the days of the Yellow Pages ads). And, yes, I did attend at City Hall to procure a business license as a Social Escort. Did my interview, passed my Crim Check, paid my fee to the City of Vancouver. I probably still have the license around here somewhere!

 

[Cami Parker]

Some are, some aren't