The strip club Barbarella’s Diamonds Cabaret at the corner of Queen and Lyon.
Canada’s adult entertainment industry says it is trying to clean up the image of strip clubs but has been struggling to gain cooperation from a wary City of Ottawa.
The Adult Entertainment Association of Canada has launched an initiative to improve the health and safety of strippers, including those at Barbarella’s Diamonds on Queen Street in Centretown.
By developing an information package and holding “awareness meetings,” the AEAC hoped to inform dancers of their rights and responsibilities in an industry that faces criticism over backroom dancing involving touching and other questionable behaviour.
The AEAC’s information package includes rules of conduct for dancers, instructions for filing complaints, information about relevant laws and services and other industry policies.
Dancers, club employees, association representatives and city staff are expected to attend meetings.
But in Ottawa, the AEAC says, its officials were rebuffed by the city after asking to have a bylaw representative explain municipal rules relevant to the stripping industry.
“At first the city didn’t send anyone,” said Tim Lambrinos, the association’s executive director. “They are reluctant to acknowledge the improvements, and our ability to self-regulate.”
A Barbarella’s Diamonds dancer named Erica – who chose not to disclose her last name – says she attended an “awareness meeting” at the strip club last winter.
“The intention is good, to inform us of the rules, but they are broken all the time. In the end it’s personal – we define our own rules and protect ourselves,” said Erica, who has worked in the industry for four years.
She says she would like to see more respect for the industry but does not think Ottawa is ready to provide that.
In 2006, Ottawa passed a bylaw prohibiting “VIP rooms” and any physical contact between patrons and strippers. The bylaw, however, is more stringent than a provincial law permitting “benign” contact.
Under Ontario law, contact without intent to harm is permitted. But “sexual intercourse, oral or manual intercourse, masturbation and prostitution” are explicitly prohibited.
Using provincial legislation as leverage, the AEAC took the City of Ottawa to court and lost.
Barbarella’s offers private dances, but rooms must meet size and visibility regulations. Patrons pass a “NO CONTACT” notice before receiving their dance.
A group of three male patrons recently smirked in unison when asked about Barbarella’s no-contact rule.
Under his breath, one man said the sign should say “no crotch contact,” suggesting that’s a better reflection of what goes on.
Leonardo Palleja of the CBC recently produced a Sunday Night documentary about the industry’s desire to change public perceptions of strip clubs.
The documentary, titled “Exotic Dancers: An Inside Look,” followed Lambrinos to meetings, and filmed scenes in several strip clubs, including Barbarella‘s.
“I went without a lot of knowledge and was surprised by what I saw. It was shocking to see the kind of interaction in the VIP areas,” said Palleja.
He says Lambrinos is working hard to change things, and he says he believes the industry is sincere in its desire to make improvements.
The AEAC may have to wait for legislative changes, but the stakeholders are currently working towards a middle ground.
After several failed attempts to communicate with the city, the mayor’s office temporarily assigned policy advisory Brent Colbert to liaise with the AEAC.
Lambrinos, not satisfied, continued to implore the city to assign a more appropriate person from city staff.
When he contacted Coun. Diane Deans, he got the response he was looking for.
Deans, chair of the city’s community services committee, asked Linda Anderson, manger of enforcement and inspections of Ottawa’s emergency protective services branch, to liaise with the association on industry issue.
Anderson will now attend meetings on behalf of the city.
A municipal fee imposed on strip clubs to cover bylaw enforcement costs has also been under fire recently from AEAC. Club owners must pay $500 for each part-time manager they employ, the association says.
AEAC plans to investigate the legitimacy of the annual fee, and says it has been denied information requested to assess the fees.
“Something doesn’t add up,” said Lambrinos. “We want to see the numbers. The city can’t profit from fees, and there is no way implementing bylaws costs that much.”