Oh, Canada! A court in Ontario legalized certain brothels and pimps with an eye toward helping prostitutes stay safe, the court said in a decision that was reached unanimously by a panel of five judges. Prostitutes will be allowed to hire bodyguards or other security staff, yet a provision that makes it illegal to advertise one’s self as a prostitute will remain, narrowly, on the books. The judges wrote that prostitutes are safest when working indoors in a familiar environment, striking down the “bawdy house prohibition on prostitutes” as “grossly disproportionate to its legislative objective.”
