{"id":672687,"date":"2026-05-16T04:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/672687\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T04:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:35:14","slug":"montreal-sex-workers-to-go-on-strike-during-grand-prix-weekend-montreal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/672687\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal sex workers to go on strike during Grand Prix weekend – Montreal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of sex\u00a0workers in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0are calling for a general strike during Grand Prix<\/a> weekend to demand better working conditions.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Sex\u00a0Work Autonomous Committee says its members want an end to the nightly fees that dancers are forced to pay to work in clubs, to obtain labour protections, and for the federal government to fully decriminalize\u00a0sex\u00a0work.<\/p>\n

During the strike, scheduled for Saturday, May 23, some will refuse to pay the bar fee, while others won\u2019t take clients. It\u2019s unclear how many\u00a0sex\u00a0workers will go on strike as participation is voluntary.<\/p>\n

A dancer who goes by the name Kit has been working in Montreal\u2019s strip clubs full time for the last three years and says she tries to avoid the \u201cchaos\u201d of the Grand Prix and the influx of tourists it brings. Formula One weekend this year is May 22-24.<\/p>\n

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She says Grand Prix weekend is a lucrative time for club managers who book more dancers than usual and charge them up to $110 per shift. She adds that at her club, clients are obligated to buy alcohol but not to purchase dances from the girls.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSometimes you leave in the negative because you paid more to work than you end up making,\u201d Kit says, adding that some owners increase bar fees during Grand Prix weekend. \u201cNobody should be paying to work, especially if you\u2019re not receiving a wage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kit says Canada could take inspiration from Washington state, which passed legislation in 2024 known as the strippers\u2019 bill of rights. The measure created safer working conditions for people in the adult entertainment industry and capped bar fees.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0sex\u00a0work committee says the strike on May 23 is their chance to \u201cthreaten that income\u201d from owners of clubs and other adult venues and \u201caffect them when it hurts the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMontreal officials say they\u2019ve left no stone unturned to prepare for Grand Prix after last year\u2019s scandal\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

According to Quebec\u2019s workplace safety board, most labour protections apply to employees but not to the self-employed. Many dancers and\u00a0sex\u00a0workers who work in massage parlours are not paid a wage and are considered autonomous workers, even if their employers set their schedules.<\/p>\n

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If\u00a0sex\u00a0workers are sick, they dip into their savings to take time off. If dancers trip on uneven floors in their eight-inch heels or fall from a shaky pole, they have no worker protections, Kit said.<\/p>\n

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Bell GPCanada, promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix, was asked by The Canadian Press to comment on the strike and the allegations that the race weekend brings in many tourists to\u00a0Montreal\u00a0seeking sexual services.<\/p>\n

\u201cBell GPCanada strongly objects to any form of sexual exploitation, violence or harassment, and we support the initiatives by local authorities to combat this issue,\u201d spokesperson Jeff Lambert said in an email.<\/p>\n

Those going on strike also want to call attention to the fact the federal government hasn\u2019t fully decriminalized\u00a0sex\u00a0work. In Canada, it is not illegal to sell\u00a0sex, but purchasing sexual services and running brothels are criminal offences.<\/p>\n

Lena Rozanov offers sexual services in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0massage parlours, which operate in a grey zone. Rozanov can legally work, but her clients and the people who run the parlours are criminalized. She says she will be striking during F1 weekend.<\/p>\n

Rozanov says decriminalization would help her massage parlour better vet clients. Since they are technically breaking the law, clients aren\u2019t asked to give identification or to register before they purchase her services.<\/p>\n

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She also wants insurance for workplace incidents \u2014 which can include harassment, breaches of consent and assault \u2014 and paid time off.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe main issue is safety,\u201d Rozanov says. \u201cThe majority of clients are absolutely decent, but there are some who might behave dangerously, and we have no protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kit, who escorts on the side, says she would like to see spaces where\u00a0sex\u00a0workers can safely work together without fear of prosecution. \u201cWe\u2019re not just victims who get pimped out,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Valerie Scott has fought for the decriminalization of\u00a0sex\u00a0work for decades. She says the law criminalizes the income of those who sell\u00a0sex\u00a0and pushes them into the shadows.<\/p>\n

Scott and two other\u00a0sex\u00a0workers challenged Canada\u2019s prostitution laws in 2007. The Supreme Court of Canada in 2013 struck down Criminal Code provisions banning bawdy houses, communicating in public for the purpose of prostitution and living on the avails of prostitution.<\/p>\n

The court determined that the country\u2019s laws had caused harm to\u00a0sex\u00a0workers by violating their Charter right to security.<\/p>\n

Scott, a legal co-ordinator for\u00a0sex\u00a0workers, says that in response to the Supreme Court decision, the federal government adopted new laws \u201cthat are even worse.\u201d She\u2019s involved in a legal challenge to Canada\u2019s existing\u00a0sex\u00a0work laws, and says she wholeheartedly supports the strike in\u00a0Montreal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do we as a society insist that people who have\u00a0sex\u00a0for money are not \u2026 worthy of labour protections, not worthy of physical protection?\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n

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However, there are mixed feelings about the strike among\u00a0sex\u00a0workers in\u00a0Montreal. Some may not participate because they don\u2019t want to miss out on the lucrative weekend; others worry about being blacklisted from their only source of income.<\/p>\n

For its part, the\u00a0sex\u00a0work committee says it will continue to push for labour rights beyond the May 23 strike.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u2014 With files from The Associated Press<\/p>\n

This is a corrected story. A previous version said that Valerie Scott ran the Canadian Alliance for\u00a0Sex\u00a0Work Law Reform. In fact, Scott is a legal co-ordinator for\u00a0sex\u00a0workers in Canada.<\/p>\n

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