Legal hooker stroll needed in capital, says MLA (CBC)
Legal hooker stroll needed in capital, says MLA
CBC Vancouver WebPosted Nov 16 2004 12:12 PM PST
Legal hooker stroll needed in capital, says MLA
See also: Police Tackle Prostitutes in Victoria
VICTORIA - Victoria Liberal MLA Sheila Orr is calling for the establishment of a designated area for street prostitutes near the downtown core.
Victoria police have cracked down on prostitutes in the city centre, forcing them to move a few blocks away to an industrial area near the inner harbour.
That has prompted more complaints from people who live and work in the neighbourhood.
Sheila Orr, the Liberal member for Victoria-Hillside, represents the area. And she says it's time for a new approach.
She wants Victoria city council to consider creating a stroll where prostitutes could legally ply their trade,
"It would be up to city council to decide how they designated this and how they defined it in any kind of a bylaw," she says.
"This is going to take some guts to stand up and say, 'Isn't it time we did this?'"
Orr stresses she's speaking as an individual, and that her idea is not B.C. Liberal party policy.
Her proposal caught Solicitor General Rich Coleman off guard. He says he has no opinion on it. He's advocating a "John school" to shame the customers and reduce street prostitution.
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Victoria "Stroll" proposed
Victoria "Stroll" proposed
November, 16 - 11:09 AM
http://www.cknw.com/news/news_local.cfm?item=23662&c=1
VICTORIA(CKNW/AM980) -- A Liberal MLA is proposing a red light district of sorts in BC's capital.
Victoria-Hillside MLA Sheila Orr says she'll ask city council to consider allowing a so-called "Stroll" on Store Street in downtown Victoria.
She says "A stroll would be an area that was designated where sex trade workers could go, within a certain time frame, that's not 24 hours, that's in a time when they feel that they could get their trade, and that it would be safer."
Asked if it would be legal, Orr says "Well it wouldn't, it would be more designated, I mean it would be up to the city council how they designated it and how they define that through any kind of a bylaw."
Orr says she's speaking strictly as the local MLA and not for the government.