TORONTO, Aug. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued an immediate liquor licence suspension for Club 33, located at 33 Bowen Street in Hamilton.

In the early hours of August 25, 2024, Hamilton Police were alerted to a shooting that occurred next to Club 33. The incident left three victims in their 20’s wounded, with two suffering serious gunshot injuries.

The AGCO has been conducting a regulatory review regarding the establishment’s potential connection to this incident to determine if the licence holder had committed any violations of Ontario’s Liquor Licence and Control Act, its Regulations or the Registrar’s Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor. The licence holder refused to speak to or cooperate with AGCO Inspectors and has failed to comply with a demand for information related to this violent incident. As a result of the licensee's conduct and the ongoing concerns, the AGCO has therefore deemed it necessary to immediately suspend Club 33’s Liquor Sales Licence for reasons of public interest and safety.

This establishment has a repeated history of alleged violent incidents and infractions of Ontario’s liquor laws and, as a result, has been the subject of multiple, ongoing AGCO inspections and compliance reviews. The AGCO has been working closely with Hamilton Police and municipal enforcement in light of violent incidents involving this establishment and others in the area.

Following repeated attempts by the AGCO to bring this establishment into compliance, in April of this year, the regulator ultimately sought to revoke the establishment’s liquor licence. The licensee appealed the proposed revocation to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario. LAT is scheduled to hear the revocation matter in late September 2024.

The licence holder has the right to appeal this immediate suspension to LAT, though even if they do, this suspension will remain in effect until the LAT has issued a decision.

QUOTES

"Holding a liquor licence comes with legal obligations for the safe and responsible sale and service of alcohol, which includes maintaining control over the premises, not permitting disorderly conduct in or next to the establishment and preventing unlawful behaviours. The AGCO will continue to work closely with local law enforcement and municipal bylaw enforcement and take all appropriate actions to protect the public.”  

Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO, AGCO

MEDIA CONTACT

AGCO Communications
media@agco.ca

ABOUT THE AGCO

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is an Ontario provincial regulatory agency reporting to the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). It is a corporation under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Act, 2019.

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.

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