Close York Hotel now: safety officers
Last Updated: Thursday, January 21, 2010 | 7:18 PM MT
CBC News
Officers with Edmonton's public safety compliance team say the bar at the York Hotel should be closed immediately. (CBC)A letter sent to city officials from Edmonton's Public Safety Compliance Team says people are being seriously injured because of delays in closing the nightclub at the York Hotel.
The owners of the notorious bar were told June 15, 2009, that the licence was being suspended because the bar represented a continuing threat to public safety.
Over a period of two years, fire and emergency personnel were called to the bar 1,214 times.
The owners appealed the suspension, but the hearing into the issue was delayed until last week, when it was again delayed until March.
In the letter from the compliance team, Acting Sgt. Nicole Chapdelaine said the bar should be shut down immediately. "Further delays continue to contribute to increased risk to public safety," the letter said.
"It is no longer acceptable to ignore the continued poor business practices and blatant disregard towards the personal safety of individuals who frequent or pass through the area, all in the interest of continued financial gains," the letter continued.
The letter also outlines alleged incidents at the York since the original order was issued, including an aggravated assault where the victim may have suffered permanent brain damage and another where a bouncer was attacked with a weapon.
The city's Community Standards and Licence Appeal Committee will consider the concerns Friday afternoon.
Share Tools
Latest Edmonton News Headlines
- Police chief apologizes to former employee over racism
- Edmonton's chief of police has apologized to one of the department's former employees who says the racist behaviour of her boss and colleagues forced her to leave her job. more »
- Edmonton trustees named marshals of gay pride parade

- Trustees from the Edmonton Public School Board will be the honorary marshals at this year's gay pride parade. more »
- ATV collision kills teen near Hinton
- An 18-year-old male died Thursday after he was thrown from his all-terrain vehicle near Hinton. more »
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Around 60 new ambulances will soon be whizzing across the province thanks to a large purchase by Alberta Health Services. more »
Top News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Severe storm in Quebec leaves damage in its wake
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- Former MLA questions need for Alberta Party
- Police chief apologizes to former employee over racism
- ATV collision kills teen near Hinton
- Edmonton trustees named marshals of gay pride parade
- Oil spill clean-up underway in northern Alberta
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Edmonton toddler killed by SUV in parking lot
- Hobbema youth dispel stereotypes with photography
- Garlic mustard spreading in Mill Creek Ravine

