One of Ontario's big news stories this week is the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision to amend laws on "keeping a common bawdy house" and "living on the avails of prostitution," reversing the Superior Court's decision to scrap the "communicating" law. (That this coincides with the province's proposed decimation of the public sector is an irony not to be overlooked.)

Vancouver - Today the Ontario Court of Appeal announced its ruling on the constitutionality of Canada's prostitution laws. Pivot is heralding the decision as a partial victory. The Court struck down the "bawdy house" provision of the Criminal Code as a violation of sex workers' right to liberty and security of the person. However, in a split decision, the Court did not strike down the law that prohibits communication for the purpose of prostitution in a public place, which remains a concern for street-based sex workers in the Downtown Eastside and across the country.