VANCOUVER – City hall won’t shut down Vancouver’s last porn theatre, instead warning the owner of the XXX-rated cinema to clean up her act or face a stiff rebuke down the line.

In choosing not to strip Main Street’s Fox Cinema of a business licence, a three-person panel made up of city councillors decided the theatre isn’t negatively impacting the surrounding neighbourhood, nor is it being managed improperly.

But the owner, Xiaohua ‘Lisa’ Huang, will be required to do visual checks of her theatre every half hour to make sure patrons aren’t smoking or engaging in “inappropriate acts.”

The theatre had found itself the target of ire from at least one of its neighbours in the area, a once seedy stretch that has been on the upswing in recent years.

A lawyer acting for the owner said the recent controversy stemmed from a single complaint.

“This happened because a neighbour didn’t like being next to a porn theatre,” said lawyer David Stuart Gray. “That’s why we’re here.”

One neighbouring business supported the beleaguered cinema.

“[Fox Cinema has] been quite harmless,” said John Robertson, whose store, John’s Jukes, is a couple doors down. “… I felt as a businessman I don’t like to see other businesses railroaded out that aren’t harming the area.”

But the cinema’s record isn’t totally spotless, according to city officials.

In two separate investigations, undercover police officers reported observing sexual activity at the cinema, which shows heterosexual pornography.

On the popular free-ads website Craigslist, anonymous posters appear to value the theatre as a meet-up location.

In a recent posting, one man writes, “Would luv [sic] to get together with a like-mided guy [sic] just for discreetmaking [sic] out.”

Another man’s post reads: “Any ladies wanting to meet at the Fox tonight?”

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