A former sex-trade worker who used to work out of an alleged brothel recently shut down by Winnipeg police spoke out Wednesday about how the bawdy house operated.

Winnipeg police said seven people have been arrested by the vice unit after a three-week-long investigation into activities at the Stiles Street home in June.

Melissa Leblanc told CBC News she once used to service clients out of the two-storey Wolseley-area home.

"There's two ways that it would work. Either … we picked up a John [client] on the street, or a John picked us up, and we brought them back there. Or a John would call the building or the house, and they'd set up an appointment," Leblanc said.

She also said the home provided prostitutes with rooms that included a mattress and condoms.

Leblanc said it was only a matter of time before police put a stop to activities at the home.

"I was just waiting for it," Leblanc said, adding she's been out of the sex trade for about six months but worked at the home in the last few days before she quit.

Barbara Ileen McIntosh, 45, and Donald Bruce McIntosh, 53, have been charged with keeping a common bawdy house and several other prostitution-related charges. Both were released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Police allege the two were acting "almost as managers" of the home.

Family-friendly neighbourhood

Neighbours in the area said they were less concerned about what was taking place inside the home than they were about what other kinds of activity a brothel might bring to the area.

"My understanding is that there might have been some drug activity going on there, and I think that bothers me more than some of the charges that have been laid," said Shelly Mure, who lives just down the block from the home.

Mure said Stiles Street is quiet and family-friendly and that she was surprised to hear of the arrests.

Tanya Warrikow grew up on Stiles and described it in the same way as Mure. It is because of that quiet, safe feel that she returned there to raise her own family. But news of the brothel has tainted that image.

"To know that something like that is running while my children are running back and forth on the street, … it's scary," she said.

Four others also charged

In addition to her other charges, Barbara McIntosh was also charged with drug possession.

Four other people have also been arrested in connection with the investigation, including three young women — two 19-year-olds and one 23-year-old — and two young men, age 19 and 17.

The women and the 19-year-old man are facing charges of participating in a common bawdy house. The 17-year-old is facing drug charges.

A police spokesman said the investigation is ongoing.