Ontario Court to Rule on Prostitution Decriminalization

If the Ontario Court of Appeal decides not to grant a stay on a controversial ruling, prostitution will become a legal grey area.

In September, Ontario Superior Court Judge Susan Himel struck down the laws surrounding prostitution, saying that the criminalization of activities related to sex work endangers women. She attached a 30-day stay to her ruling before it would take effect, and another stay has since been attached. The federal and provincial governments both want more time to review Himel’s decision and draft legislation to address it, but they may have run out of time. Today the Court of Appeal will rule on whether or not to extend the stay, and if it decides not to, the keeping of a bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution, and living off the avails of the sex trade will all become decriminalized.