CD Sports Bar on Ottawa Street North no longer has a business licence to operate legally in Hamilton. The place that became notorious after stabbings, shootings including one fatal incident and a multitude of complaints from fed up residents.
This should be the final word of the closing chapter in this notorious saga, but this story has a cliff hanger that needs to be solved. If the bar owner's licence expired in early April, why didn't the city's licensing committee know this until the last minute leading up too a meeting that would have decided whether to revoke or fail to renew the licence? Only then council was told there was no valid licence in force.
That means that since the expiry date of April 9, the business had been operating without a licence. City staff knew about the expiry. And during this period of unlicensed operation, someone was shot after leaving the bar.
Municipal policy around business licence renewal is as "flexible". In advance of expiry, business operators receive communication. And after it expires, there is a grace period during which city staff work with business owners on licence renewal.
I don't get a grace period to pay my city taxes or any bill, why should any business be able to operate without a licence? There can't and shouldn't be any gray area here, have a licence, operate your business, or close your doors, period.
The foreward to this tale should read CD bar owner no longer has the right to own, operate or be a partner in any business that serves alcohol in light of his arogance to the laws that he says he never violated and says he will obey regardless. Secondly, the city's licensing department, already in the midst of an overhaul, needs to revisit its standard protocols and tighten their lax way of enforcement.
Later,
Kenaz
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