Swingers club opponents take fight to Edmonton city hall

EDMONTON - Edmonton residents who want to stop a swingers club from opening up in their neighbourhood descended on city hall Thursday.
The west Edmonton residents are trying to persuade a city council committee to block the club from opening a lounge in a former cinema.
Neighbourhood leaders, business owners and a pastor all told the city's development appeal board that 4Play, as the group is called, is wrong for their area.

The 4play Club, described on its website as a "dance and social club for sexually open-minded couples and single women," had hoped to open on Valentine's Day weekend in a renovated theatre lobby on 156th Street.

While the board only has jurisdiction over planning issues such as parking, community residents have been vocal about their distaste for the activities of the club.
They said they would rather see something for young people, such as a bowling alley or a pool hall, go into the space.
The president of the non-profit 4play Club has said people have nothing to fear, saying the club has no tolerance for drugs and would not attract prostitutes because the sex is already free. The group had previously operated a similar facility elsewhere in the city.
Last month, the city released a Jasper Place revitalization strategy, which includes a call for bylaw restrictions to stop the creation or expansion of adult-oriented businesses.
The board was expected to make a decision later Thursday.

© Canwest News Service 2009