AGCO suspends and moves to revoke the liquor licences of Senate Sports Tavern and Senate South, Ottawa

OTTAWA, Dec. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued Orders to immediately suspend the liquor licences of Senate Sports Tavern located at 33 Clarence Street, and Senate South located at 1159 Bank Street Ottawa, for reasons of public interest and safety. 

The Registrar also issued Notices of Proposal (NOP) to revoke the establishments' liquor licences for an infraction of the Liquor Licence Act (LLA) , including the requirement that the licence holder act and carry on business in accordance with the law and with honesty and integrity.

On Sunday, November 29, 2020, at approximately 10 pm, an Ottawa Police officer attended the premises at 33 Clarence Street for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act (ROA).

During the inspection, the police officer observed a group of people entering the premise shortly after 10pm. The officer attempted to enter the licensed premises to conduct an inspection under the ROA and was allegedly assaulted by an owner of the business. This individual was arrested and charged with offences including Assault on Police and possession of illegal narcotics. He was also charged with obstructing the inspection under the ROA.

Those who hold a licence to sell alcohol are responsible for meeting their obligations under the LLA, and to act with honesty and integrity.

There are serious consequences for licence holders who do not meet these requirements, including the possibility of an Order of Monetary Penalty, a temporary suspension of the licence, or in the most serious cases a revocation of the licence.

An establishment served with a NOP has the right to appeal the Registrar's proposal to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Safety, Licensing Appeals and Standards Tribunals Ontario.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• See Section 6(2)(d) Liquor Licence Act (LLA)
• You and the Liquor Laws
• The ROA was passed into law on July 21 to ensure important measures remained in place to address the sustained threat of COVID-19 once the provincial Declaration of Emergency came to an end. See a government release. 
  
  

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Raymond Kahnert
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ABOUT THE AGCO

The AGCO is responsible for regulating the alcohol, gaming, horse racing and private cannabis retail sectors in Ontario in accordance with the principles of honesty and integrity, and in the public interest.

The AGCO is a regulatory agency with a governing board that reports to the Ministry of the Attorney General. The agency was established on February 23, 1998 under the Alcohol, Cannabis and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act, 1996.

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