Strip clubs closing due to lack of demand across Canada, says industry insider

Strip clubs, with flashy signs advertising nude dancers, once had a strong footing in downtown centres across Canada.

But as Cheetah's Show Lounge in Kelowna, B.C. closes its doors, an adult industry insider says strip clubs are an endangered species being killed off by lack of demand.

"The market demand for adult entertainment clubs is a male around a certain age," Tim Lambrinos, director of the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada, told Daybreak South's Chris Walker.

"It seems that young Canadian males are more distracted with other types of interests — Game Boys, plugging in things and so on and it's almost as if the young women are the ones bringing them out to the clubs now."

Cheetah's closure leaves only one strip club in the city of more than 100,000 residents. According to the association, that trend is the same in other big cities — Toronto had 63 strip clubs a decade ago, now it only has 14.

Lambrinos admits licensed clubs are plagued with the perception they are tied to crime and unsavoury characters, but claims that doesn't match with the reality.

"In terms of crime, even public complaints, the licensed adult entertainment clubs were the bottom of the list when it came to public complaints.

"There were nail salons and hair salons and barber shops, restaurants that got far more complaints."

A spokesperson for the City of Kelowna said Cheetah's received three noise complaints and four requests to clean up graffiti since 2011, which he said is "pretty typical" for an after-hours business.

RCMP in Kelowna told the CBC they don't have any particular concerns with strip clubs in the city.

To hear the full interview with Tim Lambrinos, click the audio labelled: Strip clubs closing across Canada.