REGINA -- The City of Regina will start enforcement on body rub establishments that are not following its bylaw within the next two months.

In September, city council voted in favour of regulating body rub parlours. Establishments must be located in the city’s industrial zone and the businesses must have proper licensing.

Since the decision was made, businesses have been given a grace period to adjust.

“That grace period is just reaching its expiry and when that occurs, we will begin to do enforcement on any that remain operating outside of the industrial areas,” Dawn Schikowski, the manager of licensing with the city, said. “Over the next two months it will certainly be full enforcement.”

The city did not give a specific date when the enforcement would begin.

Schikowski said at this point, the city has not received any applications for body rub establishment licenses.

“Businesses have certainly inquired on what the regulations are,” she said. “My understanding is that they’re working towards becoming compliant.”

Schikowski said the enforcement process will be complex and will include coordination between multiple city departments and the Regina Police Service.

“We must follow consistent enforcement practices,” she said. “The city has procedures that prescribe the number of times communication must be completed before moving to the next step of full enforcement and that includes specific investigation and evidence gathering. That all takes time and is necessary to come out with a successful outcome.”

Businesses that are not in compliance with the bylaw when the grace period is over could face charges or court injunctions. 

More to come...