Like hens' teeth, they are. I don't think anonymous prepaid is illegal in Canada (it is in some countries) but it's certainly nowhere near as easy to come by as it is here.
Went to the nearest Petro Canada to my hotel. They were sold out of SIM cards. Didn't want to buy an entire phone. Went to a Fido store near my hotel. Tried to buy a SIM card. They wanted a name to activate service so I left again. (Activation on the web would have required a credit card.) The Fido guy probably thought I was some kind of terrorist or something...then again, it's Canada, they're maybe not as paranoid as we Yanks about that kind of thing.
I could have tried yet another Petro Canada store but I was tired of wasting time. Finally decided "screw it, I don't have anyone to hide from and I'm not doing anything that's illegal here" and called a provider from my non-hobby phone.
I'm planning to visit Montréal quite soon, and have a couple of questions. Couldn't find any FAQs, so I'll just post my dumb questions:
--Are there any hotels "on the island" in the downtown area that should be avoided as "not friendly to providers/hobbyists"? For the non-hobby part of my vacation I'm going to be doing stuff like looking at architecture and going to museums, and maybe a strip club or two, so I'm going to be looking for a hotel that's convenient to those, as well as being near a metro stop.
--Are there any FAQs anywhere on legal issues in Canada generally or Quebec specifically? As I understand it some laws recently got tossed out but the Crown is appealing? AIUI outcall is generally legal, or do I have that wrong?
--Will a USA-based Tracfone work in Canada? If not, what's a good choice for a "cheapie" hobby phone?
I know about merb.ca and intend to look there for answers to my questions but half the posts are en Français and I don't speak any French beyond a few phrases.
Thanks.
My first trip is slated for next month, but I've been researching and emailing providers for the last couple of months, setting everything up. Here is what I have found:
Before booking a room, you may want to check to see if the hotel elevator is accessaable without a room key. If not, you may have to meet the lady in the lobby. If doing so is not a problem, then almost anything in the downtown CBD should be okay for hobbying as well as staging out of for your other pursuits. Keep in mind that some providers will only see clients in 4/5 star properties, so be cognizent of that.
As afar as the legality of sex for sale, my research on the Net suggests outcall is legal, but I'd stay as far under the radar as possible.
Finally, in reagrds to the phone issue, some sites say that my hobby phone carrier, Virgin Mobile, has a separate service for Canada. So I may be using my personal phone, email, or tesxting for contact when in the city.
Hope this helps.
As afar as the legality of sex for sale, my research on the Net suggests outcall is legal, but I'd stay as far under the radar as possible.
Finally, in reagrds to the phone issue, some sites say that my hobby phone carrier, Virgin Mobile, has a separate service for Canada. So I may be using my personal phone, email, or tesxting for contact when in the city.
Hope this helps.
2. Yeah, that. Outcall itself appears to be legal but so much of the stuff surrounding it isn't that it's easy to get tripped up. The one they commonly get both hobbyists and providers on, apparently, is "communication in a public place."[1] That *can* include a hotel lobby--one reason not to meet the provider there, IMO. The good news is that it would appear that unlike the U.S., hobbying isn't a priority for LE except to bust streetwalkers and their customers, and to shut down places that are operating as out-and-out brothels. It seems that if a provider is doing incalls at her place and it attracts attention and/or complaints from the neighbors, the police are likely to act in that situation as well.
3. Virgin Mobile USA and Virgin Mobile Canada are two different mobile virtual network operators that use the same name. VM USA operates on Sprint, and VM Canada operates on the Bell Canada network. Sprint is CDMA at 1900MHz and Bell Canada uses CDMA at 850 MHz--so they're not compatible.
If I can believe what I read then AT&T GoPhone should roam up there. Another thought might be a SIM from Petro Canada Mobile. (7-11 Speak Out Wireless is another option for those in the prairie provinces and BC, but not Montreal.) Even if hobbying is legal and I'm not otherwise hiding anything from anyone I'd prefer to have a phone that isn't traceable to me. Maybe the provider has a jealous civvie partner or something, you never know. Always pays to avoid drama to whatever extent possible.
[1]From the More Than You Ever Wanted to Know Dept.: There's a case making its way through the courts right now that says that the "communication in a public place" statute as well as others may be unconstitutional. The case in question is _Bedford v. Canada_. The decision in Bedford struck down Canada's prostitution laws including "communication in a public place" and "operating/being found in a bawdy house", however, the decision has been stayed from taking effect pending appeal by the government. The appeals court heard arguments in June of 2011 but I can't find any information on the subsequent decision.
Like hens' teeth, they are. I don't think anonymous prepaid is illegal in Canada (it is in some countries) but it's certainly nowhere near as easy to come by as it is here.
Went to the nearest Petro Canada to my hotel. They were sold out of SIM cards. Didn't want to buy an entire phone. Went to a Fido store near my hotel. Tried to buy a SIM card. They wanted a name to activate service so I left again. (Activation on the web would have required a credit card.) The Fido guy probably thought I was some kind of terrorist or something...then again, it's Canada, they're maybe not as paranoid as we Yanks about that kind of thing.
I could have tried yet another Petro Canada store but I was tired of wasting time. Finally decided "screw it, I don't have anyone to hide from and I'm not doing anything that's illegal here" and called a provider from my non-hobby phone.