Red light district feared if strip club and massage parlour move to same block of Dundas Place
“It’s not what downtown needs, it’s not what the main street needs!” worries Marvin Post, owner of Attic Books.
Post is among a long list of business owners upset that separate applications have been made to London City Hall requesting that a strip club business license and an adult massage parlour license be relocated to Dundas Place between Clarence Street and Wellington Street.
The block is already home to Solid Gold live adult entertainment club.
“This is not about moral indignation,” explains gallery owner Jonathon Bancroft-Snell. “This is about the reality the [the city] just spent $22 million dollars creating a family friendly environment on Dundas Place.”
The flex street was designed and rebuilt to be a vibrant entertainment and business district in the core.
Lavish located at 238 Dundas Street, as seen on August 17, 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)One application would relocate an adult live entertainment license to Lavish, an LGBTQ2+ nightclub at 238 Dundas Street.
An application by an unrelated company seeks to move a body rub license to a vacant building a few doors west at 232 Dundas Street.
“Putting these front and centre on a block across from the public library is just not a good location,” says Counc. John Fyfe Millar, who represents the downtown and surrounding neighbourhoods.
City hall has a limit on the number of adult live entertainment licenses and adult body rub licenses permitted in London.
Relocating a business holding one of these licenses requires a public meeting at city hall and approval by council.
Fyfe-Millar believes the relocations would violate one of the pillars in city council’s 2019 - 2023 Strategic Plan.
“We have a very important pillar and that’s a ‘safe community for women and girls,’” he tells CTV News London. “Neither of these businesses promote that. They may tell you they do, but we know full well what they are and what they do.”
In a statement, Lavish makes clear that it is not linked to the massage parlour license, explaining that city hall put their address on the wrong public notice.
Vacant location at 232 Dundas Street, where an adult body rub parlour is being proposed to open, as seen on August 17, 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
“Lavish denies that the two licenses are connected. We feel this is being done intentionally by the City of London. The application is being unfairly linked to the proposed massage parlour which can be documented by an error by city staff,” the statement reads.
In its own statement city hall admits an “error was found in the title of the July 27th Notice of Public Meeting which incorrectly stated the application was for an Adult Entertainment Body-rub Parlour, rather than an Adult Live Entertainment Parlour.”
A corrected notice of public meeting was sent out Aug. 3.
The operator of Lavish adds that, “Neighbouring businesses should understand the LGBTQ2+ community deserves the same entertainment options as everyone else.”
It’s an argument Bancroft-Snell flatly rejects saying, “This is not about LGBTQIA, this is about putting an inappropriate business in a block where they should not be.”
A public meeting will be held at city hall in front of the Community and Protective Services Committee on Aug. 23.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.