By Steve Kupferman

Until today, while prostitution itself was legal in Ontario (as it is throughout Canada), almost every step involved in the transactions around prostitution was not. It was illegal to “communicate for the purpose of prostitution,” to “live off the avails of prostitution,” and to run a “bawdy house.” Today, an Ontario Superior Court judge struck down those restrictions in response to a constitutional challenge launched by a Toronto-area dominatrix and two prostitutes, agreeing with them that the restrictions placed sex workers in increased danger. The Crown might seek a stay of execution, says the Globe, but if the ruling holds up on appeal, Ontarians will have license to be as bawdy as they want to be.