|
| quote: |
Docks nightclub open for business
Jul. 28, 2006. 04:00 PM
HEBA ALY
STAFF REPORTER
Beer will flow from taps at the Docks once again - albeit with restrictions - after a divisional court justice stayed an order revoking the Harbourfront nightclub and entertainment complex’s liquor license over noise complaints, citing “irreparable harm” to the company.
That means the Docks can go back to full operation - raking in an expected $250,000 this weekend alone - until an appeal of the decision by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is heard, no later than January 2007 by court order.
The club lost its licence earlier this week because of ongoing noise complaints filed by residents on the nearby Toronto Islands - complaints that have plagued the complex for a decade.
Without a liquor license, Docks lawyer Brian Campbell argued, the club would have been forced to close immediately, as alcohol sales account for 50 % of revenue.
“I am so happy for my (350) employees that they have jobs,” owner Jerry Sprackman said after the ruling, excusing him for a moment as his eyes watered. But “we don’t look at this as a win.”
Justice Katherine Swinton slapped Sprackman’s club with 10 conditions, among them:
payment of $14,377.50 in outstanding fines by 5:00 p.m. yesterday. no amplified voices, music or disc jockey outdoors before 11 a.m. or after 11 p.m. no large outdoor events, including concerts. the closure of all windows and doors, except for regular entrance and exit, while music plays indoors.
If the club violates any of these conditions, Swinton ordered, the stay will be lifted and the club will go without a liquor license until the appeal is heard.
But for some residents, these conditions won’t have any impact.
“They don’t have a history of obeying conditions,” said a Ward’s Island resident who preferred not to be named. “That’s why the board made the decision it made. It said conditions would be futile.”
The sentiment was echoed by Vivian Pitcher, a spokesperson for the Toronto Island Community Association who was granted status at the commission.
“It’s disappointing that they got their way again,” she said, but added it’s the appeal she really cares about.
In an impromptu speech during a break in the courtroom, Sprackman said the city - which he alleges breaks its own noise bylaws when it throws concerts on the islands - has been unfairly picking on the Docks.
Groups who stage raves in and around his property share the blame, he said, and if they don’t stop, “we are going to sue their behinds off” because “I’m getting sick and tired of being accused of things.”
|
source:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...epath=News/News
There seems to be a lack of important information from the articles I've seen on the news covering this.
My questions:
1. Has anyone ever addressed the apparent "inequalities" of the islander resident privileges earlier? If not, why must it wait until something like the Docks is threatened before people start to take notice or care? If they never complained about noise levels would they have continued to live through their 99 year lease without anyone crying Communism?
Was the land trust on the Island that was set up by the former NDP government in 1993 ever put to a vote at Queen's Park?
2. What exactly are the standard conditions that the Docks nightclub must abide by as far as noise levels are concerned? How is this even measured (by decibel level) or enforced?
3. The Toronto Island Community Association claims that the Docks nightclub has violated the conditions of the noise bylaws in the past. How exactly were these alleged violations addressed with the club management, how often did they allegedly occur, and how did the club management respond in turn?
4. Who is Jerry Sprackman referring to at the end of the article when he states: Groups who stage raves in and around his property share the blame, he said, and if they don’t stop, “we are going to sue their behinds off” because “I’m getting sick and tired of being accused of things.”
Is he referring to the Cherry Beach party organizers and promoters?
If anyone can answer some of these questions I'd appreciate it for the sake of my own curiousity. Thanks.
___________________
Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
|
