The locks are on at Parkdale bar Pretty Ugly, where owners have been locked out since Tuesday. 

A notice posted by the property's landlord warns co-owners Grant Van Gamaren and Robin Goodfellow that, unless Pretty Ugly's late rent is paid by Sunday, items inside the bar will seized and sold as part of payment. 

"This is not a forfeiture of the lease, but a distress against your goods, and is not intended in any way to terminate the lease,” says the sign.

“Any attempt by you to remove distrained goods from the premises is unlawful.”

The bar's owners were not able to comment due to ongoing legal proceedings with their landlord. 

The Notice of Distress posted to the door of Pretty Ugly. Photo by Jason Pham.

Pretty Ugly, like all other bars and nightclubs across Toronto, remains shuttered to customers since it was first ordered to close by the the city's health officials on March 16. 

Over the month there have been numerous reports of permanent restaurant closures and owner disputes with landlords as Canada's restaurant industry — one of the hardest-hit by the global pandemic — struggles to stay afloat. 

The Federal government's CECRA program offers rent relief to landlords who apply for it, but many commercial tenants say that their landlords don't intend to apply, nor will the relief come fast enough to cover the month's rent.