Kingston pub’s liquor license suspended for not enforcing proof of vaccine
Posted September 30, 2021 3:26 pm.
Last Updated September 30, 2021 3:32 pm.
A Kingston pub is banned from serving booze for refusing to play by the province’s pandemic rules.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has suspended the liquor licence of J.A.K.K. Tuesdays because the owner refused to enforce the province’s proof of vaccination requirement that went into effect last Wednesday.
In a release, the ACGO says before the vaccine certificate program began, compliance officers visited the pub and met with the owner to explain the new rules. They say the owner said he would not enforce the new regulations as stipulated in the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA), so signage was posted at the pub to make clear that it would not comply.
Kingston Public Health reportedly received several complaints about the pub, prompting bylaw officers to visit around Sept. 23. They confirmed that proof of vaccination was not being enforced at the pub and the owner was charged with violations of the ROA.
Since the pub owner still refused to comply thereafter, the establishment’s liquor licence was suspended.
The ACGO has also moved to have the pub’s licence revoked entirely “for infractions of the Liquor Licence Act (LLA), including the requirement that the licence holder act and carry on business in accordance with the law, with honesty and integrity, and in the public interest.”
The owner says he’s received thousands of dollars in fines but also claims to have growing support and that people are coming to his bar from across the province.
“The hospitality sector has been hard hit by the pandemic. The vaccine certificates are allowing businesses to keep operating while protecting the safety of their patrons, ” said Tom Mungham, Registrar and CEO, AGCO. “Liquor licensed establishments have an important role to play in keeping the sector open and the community safe. We appreciate and recognize all the establishments that are taking this responsibility seriously and will continue addressing situations where that responsibility is being disregarded.”
