General Reports

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Newfoundland's economy is booming.

The money is flowing from oil and other megaprojects. It's flowing into big luxury houses, expensive cars, high-end restaurants and stores. And as money will, it's flowing into other industries - those not promoted in glossy tourism ads, but in Not Safe For Work sites on the internet. The province's new economy has created a new workforce - travelling prostitutes. Cities like St. John's have always known prostitution. But in the last 16 months, the boom has exploded.

Fuelled by the prospect of thousands of dollars coupled with the anonymity and ease of the internet, escorts are flying here from Toronto, Vancouver and other Canadian cities. CBC Investigates discovered close to 40 women who include Newfoundland on their touring schedules. They offer every service imaginable, and some you can't imagine. Why? Escorts can make over $20,000 in less than three weeks with one city, one tour.

Heavy competition in bigger cities means escorts like Toronto-based "Mary" fly to smaller places where clientele have open wallets and a taste for variety. It's easy. She and local escorts like "Iris" post their services and availability online. Iris - a high end escort in St. John's - has her own website, which registered 6,000 hits last month - a significant increase for her. Iris also travels. She's due in two Canadian cities later this summer.

Clients find Iris's website through ads she posts online. In this province, the go-to site is NLadultclassifieds, a one-stop shop for buying and selling sex. Using words like "hot," "sexy" and "available," and banner ads of women naked or half-naked making promises of services for cash, the site posts announcements of who is coming to town and when. It's advertising that is so effective, Iris says she has to turn away clients.

"Mary" and "Iris" sat down with CBC Investigate's reporter Adam Walsh recently to explain how they do what they do, and why. "Mary" and "Iris" are not their real names. Source: cbc.ca