Nightclub says ongoing violence is not their fault and pauses operations indefinitely
A popular Toronto-area club has made the decision to shut its doors indefinitely this week after a string of violent incidents, including at least five shootings, the most recent of which happened in the parking lot on September 4.
While management at strip-cum-nightclub Her says that safety "has been of the utmost importance," they wrote in a statement posted to Instagram last night that the move is actually because of new rules imposed by the City of Mississauga in the wake of the incidents that limits the establishment's opening hours to a level that is "unsustainable."
The team says that they were told last week that they can now only operate from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; only seven hours per week.
"With over 50 employees, in addition to the substantial overhead to operate a large venue in a professional and secure manner, this limitation leads the business into a guaranteed financial loss," reads the six-slide Instagram statement about the decision to pause operations.
It also reiterates multiple times that all shootings have taken place not inside the venue itself, but in and around its Eglinton and Dixie Road plaza that is also home to more than 10 other businesses.
"Since opening we have actively increased staff, updated security procedures and increased on-premise cameras, resulting in zero firearms or any threatening incidents whatsoever inside the venue," staff say, adding that their request to actually pay Peel Regional Police officers to be present on site to deter criminal activity was denied.
"The venue has proactively attempted to connect with local enforcement through various avenues... and will continue to attempt to reach out in hopes of finding solutions to the ongoing and increasing acts of violence in the city, which isn't only isolated to the complex."
Local police issued a rare public safety alert about the adult entertainment club last month, telling the public that there were "heightened risks" associated with the business, with the force having to respond to more than two dozen incidents since January 2021, including shootings and "priority calls involving disorderly behaviour."
As a result, the city imposed a two-week suspension notice that would have only allowed the club to reopen this Friday, while the The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is reviewing its liquor licence.
Hector Vasquez
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