date posted: 2003-04-01
Recently seven of the nine elected members of your Town council accepted the responsibility of convening as a tribunal to hear an application for a new adult entertainment parlour at the former Legion Hall site on Ohio Road. Adult Entertainment Parlour is another way of saying strip club. The Town’s licensing by-laws permit only two such establishments in Town and they may only be located in the Enford Road/Ohio Road industrial area.
The decision of the tribunal to refuse this particular application was unanimous and decisive. While the law states that such businesses are legal and therefore must be permitted to operate, the Town’s licensing by-laws require that a number of stringent conditions must be met. Council is committed to ensuring that any applicant meets all of the conditions of a licence under our by-laws in order to ensure that any such business conducts itself to the highest standards we can lawfully set.
As part of the Tribunal’s hearings, the evidence presented included the concerns expressed by neighbours regarding the existing business at 371 Ohio Road. Viewed in its totality, the evidence which was presented indicated to us that there were “no reasonable grounds to believe that the applicants would carry on business in accordance with the law or with integrity or with honesty”. The latter is a direct quote from the decision of the tribunal.
The information presented to the Tribunal led it to believe that the application should be refused for several reasons, including the applicants’ own record of management of this site.
As a member of the Tribunal, I can state to area residents that the decision made by the seven members was clear and decisive following an open and fair hearing. As the local Councillor I appreciate the input of area residents in helping us arrive at our decision.