St. George Street meeting addresses prostitution issues in Moncton

Residents of Moncton's St. George Streetneighbourhoodvoiced their concerns and support for sex workers in the area Wednesday night.

The city of Moncton's public safety advisory committee hosted a session at the Lions Community Centre which explored the myths and realities linked to the sex trade and criminal behaviour.

Approximately 70 residents, business owners and organization members attended.

• Moncton's St. George Street faces growing concerns about prostitution

Cory Herc lives in the area and attended the meeting. He said that attendance numbers signaled a level of concern and importance for the community.

"It represented an incredible level of interest in the community that I didn't expect to see," he said.

The meeting discussed the legalities around who would and would not be criminally liable for different parts of actions and transactions on the streets, said Herc.

"It helped to clarify a lot of people's perception of the law," he said

Safety of sex trade

The meeting also shone a light on the safety of the sex trade and those who are a part of it.

"My impression was that people cared enormously for the health,safety and well-being of the sex workers in the area and that was being kept as a priority at the forefront of the meeting."

Prostitution has been legal in Canada since 2014, however the buying of sex is still illegal.

Crime drove man away

Former residentDarcy Wallace saidhe moved from the area because of crime.

"I was loading my mountain bike into my car and somebody approached me in my own driveway and offered to sell me drugs."

Wallace said many people were voicing their concerns with safety and their family's well-being.

Police presence

"A lot of people were addressing issues of concerns they have [about]prostitutes operating in areas where children walk back and forth to school and the lack of prompt police response times."

"We are trying to have an increased presence on the street to deter people who are looking to buy services from prostitutes," said Sgt. Maurice Comeau in an interview with CBC on Wednesday.

Suggestions and possible outcomes of the meeting were mainly aimed towards pimps and johns.

A suggested Neighbourhood Watch in conjunction with the city and the RCMP was brought up, as well as a system of tracking licence plates and vehicle descriptions.

The RCMP have also generated a specific case number encouraging people to call in and report criminal activity in the area.

"I applaud the police for having a file number that people can quickly identify when they call them," said Wallace.

"People were discussing possible ways to get positive outcomes and reduce community impact while helping to make sure the sex workers in the area stayed safe and that people were aware of the realities of their lives not just the perceived problems," said Herc.