Bawdy houses popping up in residential Markham neighbourhoods, say residents
Residents are witnessing "scantily-clad women", "shady Johns" in their neighbourhoods

yorkregion.com
April 25, 2017
By Jeremy Grimaldi

The first inkling Mike (not his real name) had that something was wrong in his Markham neighbourhood was the masses of cars being parked on his street, often at odd times of the day

Then he began finding condoms on front lawns and prophylactic wrappers on the street around his home.

As if that wasn’t enough, at one point, he saw two scantily clad women running from one of the suspicious houses on the street to another one located nearby.

It was at this point Mike got onto his neighbours and local politicians about what he believes is rampant prostitution taking place on Markham’s residential streets.

“I have had one guy even knock on my door at midnight,” Mike said. “He got a phone call and then left. We feel less safe because we have these people around. We don’t know who they are. It’s very upsetting. We have kids in this neighbourhood, this is a family area.”

He added that the traffic occurs all day long, but can intensify during nights and early morning hours.

Politicians in the neighbourhood say the problem goes far beyond the two streets mentioned - Ray Street and Ash Tree Lane - explaining there are at least five streets facing similar problems. Unionville Coun. Don Hamilton said he wanted to keep the names of those streets private.

He says Markham residents, who he believes are proud of their neighbourhoods, don’t want this sort of activity located near streets and alleyways, where children can often be found playing.

“It’s not just the ladies, it’s also the type of clientele they are attracting,” he said. “Are they selling drugs, doing drugs? There could be violence, disputes between ladies and johns."

Despite these comments though, Hamilton insisted he did not want to make this a moral issue, nor does he want to pretend there is no demand.

“We don't want to be judgmental," he added. "We understand there may be a need for this type thing, but it may have to be in an industrial or commercial area. That’s what councillors are looking at right now as part of the comprehensive zoning bylaw review.”

York Regional Police Markham Supt. Fred Moffatt said, while residential bawdy houses in the city are a “very small problem,” for the people suffering through it, it’s a “very big problem.”

He has heard from both residents and councillors on the issue and agreed that prostitution can attract criminal elements including “drug use and violence.”

York police Const. Andy Pattenden said he wants to remind residents that seeking sexual services remains illegal and that individuals can be charged criminally as a result.

“We would encourage citizens who see any suspicious activity to contact police and we will investigate,” he wrote in an email. “If you are experiencing parking-related issues as has been a common complaint."

Markham bylaw did not respond to a request for comment, however police said anyone wanting to complain can contact the city on 905-477-5530. York Regional Police are available on 1-866-876-5423.