Is sex work legal in Prince George, BC?

Sex work (selling sexual services) itself is not illegal in Canada or Prince George, but nearly all surrounding activities are criminalized under the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA).

The legal framework governing sex work in Prince George is defined by federal Canadian law, specifically the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) enacted in 2014. While exchanging sexual services for money between consenting adults is legal, the law targets activities deemed exploitative:

• Purchasing Sexual Services (Illegal): It’s a criminal offence to buy or attempt to buy sexual services (Criminal Code s. 286.1).
• Material Benefit (Illegal with Exceptions): Receiving a financial or material benefit from someone else’s sexual services is illegal. Limited exceptions exist for legal assistants, drivers providing only transportation, or someone living with the sex worker under legitimate dependency (s. 286.2).
• Procuring (Illegal): Recruiting, holding, concealing, or exercising control over someone for sexual services is illegal (s. 286.3).
• Advertising (Illegal): Advertising an offer to provide sexual services is illegal (s. 286.4).
• Communication in Public (Restricted): Communicating for the purpose of selling sexual services in a public place where a child could reasonably be expected to be present is illegal.

This model, often called the “Nordic Model,” aims to reduce demand by criminalizing buyers while decriminalizing sellers, theoretically shifting the focus to supporting exploited persons. Enforcement in Prince George involves the RCMP, focusing primarily on buyers and exploitative third parties.

What are the main safety concerns for sex workers in Prince George?

Sex workers in Prince George face significant safety risks, including violence, exploitation, unpredictable policing, harsh climate, and the dangerous legacy of the Highway of Tears.

The criminalized environment pushes sex work underground, making workers more vulnerable. Key safety concerns include:

• Violence from Clients: Fear of arrest deters workers from screening clients effectively or reporting assaults to police.
• Exploitation & Trafficking: Vulnerability increases the risk of being controlled by exploitative third parties (pimps/traffickers).
• Police Interactions: While sellers aren’t criminalized, interactions can be fraught due to the illegal nature of related activities. Workers may fear arrest for advertising, working with others for safety, or outstanding warrants.
• Highway 16 (Highway of Tears): Prince George is a central point on this corridor notorious for the disappearances and murders of many women, predominantly Indigenous. This history casts a long shadow over the safety of vulnerable women, including sex workers, in the region.
• Harsh Environment & Isolation: Northern BC’s extreme weather and remote locations can increase risk during street-based work or outcalls.
• Stigma & Discrimination: This hinders access to housing, healthcare, and social services, compounding vulnerability.

What support services exist for sex workers in Prince George?

Key support services in Prince George include Awareness of Violence Against Women in Relationships (AWAC), STI/HIV testing clinics, Foundry PG for youth, and Carrier Sekani Family Services, though specialized, decriminalization-focused outreach is limited.

While Prince George lacks a dedicated sex worker-led organization like Vancouver’s PACE, several services offer crucial support:

• Awareness of Violence Against Women in Relationships (AWAC): Provides crisis intervention, counselling, safety planning, and advocacy for women experiencing violence, including those in the sex trade.
• Northern Health – STI/HIV Services: Offers confidential testing, treatment, and prevention resources (condoms, PrEP/PEP info) crucial for sex worker health. Locations include the Central Interior Native Health Society (CINHS) and the Northern Interior Health Unit.
• Foundry Prince George: Provides integrated health and wellness services (mental health, physical health, substance use support, peer support, social services) for youth aged 12-24, including those involved in sex work.
• Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS): Offers culturally safe support, counselling, and health services for Indigenous individuals, who are disproportionately represented in the street-based sex trade in PG.
• Positive Living North (PLN): Provides support, prevention, and education related to HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, serving vulnerable populations.
• Prince George RCMP Vulnerable Persons Section: Focuses on exploitation and trafficking investigations, though engagement can be complex due to trust issues stemming from criminalization.

Accessing these services can be challenging due to stigma, fear, transportation issues, and lack of trust. Harm reduction supplies (needles, naloxone) are available through Northern Health.

How does the Highway of Tears impact sex work in Prince George?

The Highway of Tears creates a heightened context of danger and vulnerability for sex workers in Prince George, particularly Indigenous women engaged in street-based work.

Prince George is a critical nexus point on Highway 16, infamously known as the “Highway of Tears” due to the high number of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered along this route over decades. This deeply impacts the sex trade:

• Increased Vulnerability: The history amplifies the existing risks of violence for sex workers, especially Indigenous women working outdoors or accepting rides.
• Targeting of Vulnerable Women: Predators may exploit the transient nature of the highway and the vulnerabilities of women involved in survival sex work.
• Transportation Challenges: Lack of safe, affordable public transport along Highway 16 forces many, including sex workers, to hitchhike, significantly increasing risk.
• Community Trauma & Distrust: The unresolved cases foster deep-seated trauma within Indigenous communities and distrust of law enforcement, hindering reporting of violence within the sex trade.
• Focus on Prevention: Initiatives like the Highway of Tears Education Program and expanded shuttle services aim to improve safety, but the fundamental vulnerability remains, particularly for marginalized women.

The legacy of the Highway of Tears underscores the deadly intersection of colonialism, racism, poverty, gender-based violence, and the criminalization of survival strategies like sex work in Northern BC.

What is the difference between street-based and online sex work in Prince George?

The key differences involve visibility, client screening ability, police interaction risk, and vulnerability to violence, with online work offering more control but facing legal barriers.

Sex work in Prince George manifests in different forms, primarily:

• Street-Based Sex Work:
  • Highly visible in certain areas (e.g., known strolls).
  • Limited time/ability to screen clients, increasing risk of violence.
  • More vulnerable to weather, police street checks, and public scrutiny/stigma.
  • Often associated with survival sex work driven by immediate needs (housing, addiction).
  • Higher representation of Indigenous women.
• Online-Based Sex Work:
  • Arranged via websites, apps, or social media (though advertising is illegal).
  • Allows for better client screening (communication beforehand).
  • Often occurs indoors (incalls/outcalls), potentially increasing safety if in controlled environments.
  • Less visible to police and public, but risk of online scams/harassment.
  • Risk of police investigations targeting online ads or communications.
  • Can include escorting, professional domination, camming, online content.

The criminalization of advertising pushes online work further underground, limiting access to harm reduction information and support networks. Both forms face the overarching risks created by PCEPA.

Where can someone get tested for STIs or access sexual health resources in Prince George?

Confidential STI/HIV testing and sexual health resources are available at the Northern Interior Health Unit, CINHS, Foundry PG (youth), and some walk-in clinics.

Accessing confidential sexual health services is vital for sex workers. Key locations in Prince George include:

• Northern Interior Health Unit (Northern Health): Offers comprehensive STI/HIV testing, treatment, counselling, and prevention resources (condoms, PrEP/PEP information). Call for appointments or check for walk-in clinics. (Address: 1444 Edmonton St).
• Central Interior Native Health Society (CINHS): Provides culturally safe healthcare, including STI testing and sexual health services, primarily for Indigenous people but often serving others. (Address: 1110 4th Ave).
• Foundry Prince George: Offers integrated sexual health services, including testing and counselling, for youth aged 12-24. (Address: 1148 7th Ave).
• Walk-in Clinics: Some physicians at walk-in clinics offer STI testing. Call ahead to confirm availability.
• Pharmacies: Pharmacists in BC can prescribe treatment for some STIs (like chlamydia, gonorrhea) and provide emergency contraception and condoms.

Confidentiality is generally protected. Northern Health and CINHS often have the most experience serving vulnerable populations. Free condoms are widely available at many health and community service locations.

What are the arguments for and against decriminalization of sex work in Canada?

The core debate centers on safety vs. exploitation: decriminalization advocates argue it enhances sex worker safety and rights, while opponents fear it increases trafficking and exploitation.

The PCEPA model remains highly controversial. Here’s a breakdown of the main arguments:

• Arguments FOR Full Decriminalization (like New Zealand model):
  • Improved Safety: Allows workers to screen clients, work together, report violence to police without fear of arrest for related offences.
  • Worker Rights & Autonomy: Grants sex workers labor rights, ability to negotiate safer conditions, access banking/legal services.
  • Reduced Stigma: Could lessen social stigma, improving access to healthcare and housing.
  • Better Access to Services: Easier for outreach services to connect with workers not fearing prosecution.
  • Focus on Real Exploitation: Allows law enforcement to focus resources on trafficking and coercion, not consenting adults. (Supported by Amnesty International, WHO, Global Commission on HIV and the Law, many sex worker organizations).
• Arguments AGAINST Full Decriminalization (Supporting PCEPA/Nordic Model):
  • Reducing Demand/Exploitation: Aims to eliminate the sex trade by targeting buyers and third parties, reducing overall exploitation.
  • Symbolic Stance: Views prostitution as inherently exploitative and harmful, especially to women and girls; society should not condone it.
  • Concerns about Trafficking: Argues decriminalization increases trafficking and underage exploitation by normalizing the industry.
  • Focus on Exiting: Emphasizes funding services to help people exit the trade rather than facilitating it. (Supported by some feminist groups, religious organizations, and anti-trafficking NGOs).

Evidence from New Zealand suggests decriminalization improves safety without increasing trafficking. Critics of PCEPA argue it makes sex work more dangerous by isolating workers, a reality experienced daily in places like Prince George.

How can someone exit sex work or find help in Prince George?

Exiting support in Prince George focuses on addressing root causes like housing, addiction, trauma, and poverty through services like AWAC, Foundry PG (youth), CSFS, and PLN.

Leaving the sex trade often requires addressing complex underlying issues. Support services in Prince George that can assist include:

• Awareness of Violence Against Women in Relationships (AWAC): Provides crisis support, counselling, safety planning, and connections to resources like transition houses, income assistance, and legal aid, crucial for those wanting to exit due to violence or exploitation.
• Foundry Prince George: Offers integrated support (mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, social services) for youth looking to leave the trade.
• Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS): Provides culturally safe counselling, healing programs, and support services addressing intergenerational trauma, addiction, and housing for Indigenous individuals.
• Positive Living North (PLN): Offers support, advocacy, and connections to resources for individuals living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, often facing overlapping challenges.
• Income Assistance & Housing Support (BC Housing, Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction): Accessing stable income and housing is often the first critical step. AWAC, CSFS, or Foundry PG can assist with applications and navigating systems.
• Addiction Services (Northern Health – Adult Community Support Services): Provides assessment, counselling, referral to treatment programs, and harm reduction support.

There is no single “exit program.” Success typically involves long-term, wraparound support addressing trauma, addiction, poverty, lack of education/employment, and securing safe housing. Building trust with a service provider is key.