New massage parlour restrictions pondered by city

A city committee has voted in favour of a plan to get shady massage parlours out of Calgarys residential areas.

The planning and urban development committee decided Wednesday that the city's licence system should be modified so that it differentiates between massage practitioners and what it calls body-rub practitioners.

Currently registered massage therapists and massage parlours are granted the same kind of business licence.

The move is inresponse to complaintsabout the parlours, which are sometimes linked tocriminal activities, including prostitution and human trafficking.

The planned changes would see registered massage practitioners given a type of business licence thats not available to unregistered ones. Those businesses would no longer be allowed to set up shop in residential areas.

The changes will allow the authorities to better focus their attention on the problems associated with massage parlours, said Ald. Gian-Carlo Carra, If city council approves the proposal later this month, a new bylaw will be drafted by the end of the year.