In Saskatchewan, booze and strippers don’t mix

Watching strippers is perfectly legal in Saskatchewan. Drinking alcohol is legal too, of course. But drinking whilst watching strippers disrobe is a no-no in the prairie province.

Saskatchewan is the only jurisdiction in Canada where it's still illegal to serve booze in a peeler bar, which of course means it's not a bar.

The law is decades old and has survived a Supreme Court of Canada challenge, says National Post columnist Jesse Kline, but the province's embattled exotic dancers are fighting back.

They're staging the "Naked If I Want" protest event at a Saskatoon nightclub on April 14, featuring a night of strippers and burlesque performances, the Star Phoenix reports. But no booze.

"It will be a positive and lively event," organizer Devin Ens told the paper. "I actually don't know anyone who supports this law. What's wrong with being naked?"

Section 63 of Saskatchewan's Alcohol Control Regulations prohibits liquor permit-holders from allowing "any nude activity or entertainment; or any activity or entertainment that consists of a striptease performance of wet-clothing contest."

The rule, enforced by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, came under a spotlight earlier this month when an inspector dropped in on a breast cancer research fundraiser at a Saskatoon venue that featured Chippendales male exotic dancers. The authority now is investigating possible violations of Section 63, which could lead to fines or liquor-licence suspensions.

The Post's Kline wrote that the provincial government has been using the law to kill strip clubs because without a liquor licence they're just not profitable.

"The law has been wildly successful: All but one (dry) strip club in Regina have been driven out of business," Kline wrote.

The ruling conservative Saskatchewan Party has worked to cut a lot of business-hampering red tape, Kline noted, but has no plans to review Section 63 because apparently no one has complained.

"This is not at all surprising, however, since the industry has been regulated out of business: Of course there's no one to complain," Kline pointed out.

The government is not backing down in the face of renewed opposition to the law.

"I'm a father with young daughters, and this sort of activity comes with a lot of warts," Tim McMillan, minister responsible for the liquor authority, said in the Post. "On the other hand, there is the free enterprise argument as well. So yeah, I'm on both sides of this."

Kline argued the issue here is one of personal liberty.

"Removing the legal impediments against peeler bars does not mean that everyone's daughter will go out and become a stripper, but it would allow someone to open such a facility and hire the staff necessary to run it," he wrote.

Maybe the Saskatchewan protest strippers, in petitioning provincial legislators, could take a page from their Toronto counterparts.

The Adult Entertainment Association of Canada went before Toronto city council's licensing and standards committee Thursday to ask for changes to bylaws on permitted activities in strip clubs.

Instead of a PowerPoint, executive director Tim Lambrinos brought poledancer Viviana as a visual aid.

The committee voted unanimously in favour of the review, the Toronto Sun reported.