Understanding Sex Work in Saskatoon: Context, Risks, and Resources

Saskatoon, like many urban centers, has individuals involved in sex work. This complex issue intersects with law, public health, social services, and human rights. This guide focuses on providing factual information about the legal framework, safety considerations, available support services, and the broader social context surrounding prostitution in Saskatoon, emphasizing harm reduction and access to resources.

What is the Legal Status of Prostitution in Saskatoon?

Prostitution itself (exchanging sex for money) is not illegal in Canada. However, nearly all surrounding activities are criminalized under federal law. Key laws impacting sex workers in Saskatoon include communicating for the purpose of prostitution in public (Section 213 of the Criminal Code), operating or working in a bawdy-house (brothel – Section 210), living on the avails of prostitution (pimping – Section 212(1)(j)), and procuring (Section 212).

These laws significantly impact how sex work operates in Saskatoon. The criminalization of communication in public pushes activities underground or into more isolated, dangerous areas. Laws against indoor venues make it difficult for workers to operate safely together or hire security.

How do Saskatoon Police Enforce Prostitution Laws?

Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) focuses enforcement primarily on exploitative activities like human trafficking, procuring, and living on the avails (pimping). While the communicating law remains on the books, enforcement priorities often shift, sometimes targeting street-based workers more visibly. Police may also use other municipal bylaws (like loitering) or provincial laws.

Critics argue this enforcement approach often penalizes the workers themselves, increasing vulnerability rather than addressing exploitation. There have been efforts towards diversion programs or connecting individuals with social services instead of charges, but practices vary.

Where Does Street-Based Sex Work Occur in Saskatoon?

Street-based sex work in Saskatoon has historically been concentrated in specific areas, often associated with higher levels of poverty, addiction, and transient populations. Areas like the vicinity of 20th Street West, particularly near Avenue P and Avenue S, and parts of the Pleasant Hill neighborhood have been known for street solicitation.

These locations are not fixed and can shift due to police pressure, community complaints, or changes in the local environment. Workers often choose these areas for relative anonymity or client accessibility, but they can also be high-risk zones for violence and exploitation.

What are the Main Safety Risks for Sex Workers in Saskatoon?

Sex workers in Saskatoon face significant safety risks due to the criminalized environment and stigma. Key dangers include: Violence from clients (assault, rape, robbery), Exploitation and control by pimps/traffickers, Increased vulnerability due to working in isolation or hidden locations, Risk of arrest and criminal record, Stigma and discrimination hindering access to housing, healthcare, and other services, Health risks including STIs and BBIs (blood-borne infections), particularly without access to clean supplies, Substance use issues often intertwined with survival sex work.

The criminalized nature of associated activities makes it difficult for workers to screen clients effectively, work together for safety, or report violence to police without fear of arrest themselves.

What Support Services Exist for Sex Workers in Saskatoon?

Several organizations in Saskatoon offer crucial support and harm reduction services tailored to sex workers’ needs:

• AIDS Saskatoon: Provides comprehensive harm reduction services including free condoms, lube, safer drug use supplies (needles, pipes), naloxone kits and training, STI testing, counselling, and support groups. They operate on principles of non-judgment and meeting people where they’re at.
• STR8 UP: Focuses on helping individuals exit gang life and the exploitative sex trade often associated with it. Offers long-term mentorship, counselling, cultural programming, and practical support.
• Saskatoon Sexual Assault & Information Centre (SSAIC): Provides crisis intervention, counselling, and support for survivors of sexual violence, including sex workers.
• OutSaskatoon: Offers support specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, a community disproportionately represented in sex work, including harm reduction and advocacy.

These services operate under harm reduction and trauma-informed care models, prioritizing safety, autonomy, and access without requiring individuals to leave sex work.

Where Can Sex Workers Access Health Services in Saskatoon?

Accessing non-judgmental healthcare is critical. Key resources include:

• Westside Community Clinic: Known for providing accessible and non-stigmatizing care, including sexual health services and support for marginalized populations.
• AIDS Saskatoon (Clinical Services): Offers specialized STI testing and treatment, PrEP/PEP for HIV prevention, hepatitis C testing and treatment support.
• Mobile Crisis Services: For immediate mental health or crisis support.
• Pharmacies: Many pharmacies provide naloxone kits and training free of charge.

Harm reduction supplies (condoms, lube, needles, pipes, naloxone) are widely available through AIDS Saskatoon, community health centers, and some shelters.

How Prevalent is Human Trafficking in Saskatoon’s Sex Trade?

Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a serious concern in Saskatoon, as in many Canadian cities. Victims, often Indigenous women and girls, youth, and migrants, are coerced or forced into the sex trade through violence, threats, manipulation, debt bondage, or control over basic needs.

Saskatoon Police have dedicated units focused on human trafficking investigations. Organizations like STR8 UP and the Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to Sexual Exploitation (SARSE) work specifically to identify victims, provide support, and help them exit exploitative situations. Recognizing the signs of trafficking is crucial for community reporting.

What Role Does the Legacy of Colonization Play?

The overrepresentation of Indigenous women and girls in Saskatoon’s street-based sex trade is inextricably linked to Canada’s history of colonization, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, systemic racism, intergenerational trauma, and ongoing socio-economic marginalization. Poverty, lack of housing, substance use stemming from trauma, and involvement with child welfare systems create pathways into survival sex work and vulnerability to trafficking. Addressing these root causes requires systemic change and culturally safe support.

What are the Arguments for Decriminalization?

Many public health experts, human rights organizations (like Amnesty International), and sex worker advocacy groups argue that full decriminalization of sex work (removing criminal penalties for both selling and buying sex, and for related activities like brothel-keeping where safety is managed) is the best approach to improve safety. Key arguments include:

• Increased Safety: Workers could screen clients, work together indoors, hire security, and report violence without fear of arrest.
• Improved Health: Easier access to health services and harm reduction without stigma or fear of legal consequences.
• Reduced Exploitation: Workers could operate independently more easily, reducing reliance on potentially exploitative third parties.
• Human Rights: Upholds the rights to security of person, equality, and freedom from discrimination.

This contrasts with the current “Nordic Model” (criminalizing clients) implemented in Canada, which critics argue simply pushes the trade further underground, making workers less safe.

What Community Initiatives Aim to Reduce Harm?

Beyond direct service provision, Saskatoon has initiatives focused on systemic harm reduction:

• Bad Date Reporting: Informal networks or supported systems (sometimes via organizations like AIDS Saskatoon) where workers can share descriptions of violent or dangerous clients to warn others.
• Community Education: Efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination against sex workers among service providers, police, and the general public.
• Advocacy: Groups pushing for policy changes, including decriminalization and increased funding for support services and affordable housing.
• SARSE (Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to Sexual Exploitation): A collaborative table bringing together police, social services, health, and community organizations to coordinate responses to sexual exploitation and trafficking.

What is the History of Sex Work in Saskatoon?

Saskatoon’s sex trade has evolved alongside the city’s growth. Historically, areas near rail lines and downtown cores often hosted brothels or street solicitation. Like many prairie cities, the trade was influenced by transient populations (railway workers, soldiers).

The latter half of the 20th century saw increased visibility of street-based work, particularly along 20th Street West. The HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 90s brought increased focus on harm reduction and public health interventions. Legal shifts, notably the 2013 Bedford decision (which struck down some laws) and the subsequent 2014 PCEPA legislation (which criminalized clients and third parties), have significantly shaped the current operating environment, pushing more activity indoors (online) but also increasing risks for street-based workers.

The persistent overrepresentation of Indigenous women reflects the city’s location within Treaty 6 territory and the devastating legacy of colonization on First Nations and Métis communities in Saskatchewan.

How Has Online Work Changed the Landscape?

The rise of the internet has dramatically shifted how much sex work operates in Saskatoon. Many workers now advertise and screen clients primarily online through websites, social media platforms, and dedicated apps. This offers potential advantages:

• Safer Screening: Ability to communicate with clients beforehand, verify identities.
• Indoor Work: Reduced reliance on street-based solicitation and its inherent dangers.
• Autonomy: Greater control over services, rates, and client selection.

However, online work also presents challenges: risk of online harassment/doxxing, dependence on platforms that can shut down accounts arbitrarily, potential for law enforcement monitoring, and the digital divide excluding those without reliable access or tech skills. It has also made the trade less visibly concentrated in specific neighborhoods.

Where Can Someone Experiencing Exploitation Get Help?

If someone is being exploited or trafficked in Saskatoon, or if you suspect it, help is available:

• Emergency: Call 911 for immediate danger.
• Saskatoon Police Service Human Trafficking Unit: 306-975-8300 (Non-emergency).
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010 (24/7 multilingual).
• STR8 UP: 306-242-7277 (Support exiting gangs/exploitation).
• Saskatoon Sexual Assault & Information Centre (SSAIC): 306-244-2224 (24/7 Crisis Line).
• AIDS Saskatoon: 306-374-6422 (Harm reduction, support, advocacy).
• Victim Services: Provides support to victims of crime.

Support focuses on safety planning, counselling, access to basic needs (shelter, food), legal advocacy, and long-term support to rebuild autonomy.