AGCO immediately suspends the liquor licence of Hamilton’s Club 33 following latest violent incidents
August 31 2024 - 9:21AM
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 Communicationsmedia@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.