This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. The court stayed its judgment for 30 days to allow both sides time to appeal, and suspended their ruling on bawdy houses for one year to allow Parliament the chance to redraft legislation.
The ruling gave 30 days before the amended living on the avails provision comes into force. It would give prostitutes the option to move indoors, where it can be much safer than working on the street.
It is up to Parliament to respond with new legislation, the decision said. We want to talk to our federal counterparts on this. It requires an awful lot of thought as to what the next steps should be.
In Sept. Himel found that prostitutes, particularly those who work on the street, are at a much higher risk of violence. This outweighed the goal of combating social nuisance, she argued.
The panel deliberated for nine months. The federal government made the case that the laws send a message to Johns and pimps that they engage in such activity at their own peril and that prostitution does psychological harm. Later Monday morning, sex worker advocates were mixed in their reaction to the ruling. Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.
