City suspends business licences of Vancouver restaurants defying health orders
The City of Vancouver has suspended the business licences of two local restaurants for defying provincial health orders.
Corduroy Lounge in Kitsilano and Gusto’s in Olympic Village will remain closed from now until April 20, 2021, a date that coincides with the province’s ordered suspension of indoor dining for all BC restaurants.
These suspensions follow Closure Orders from Vancouver Coastal Health for failing to comply with PHO orders.
Video footage shared on Facebook shows the inside of Corduroy on Saturday, filled with people. Two health inspectors from VCH speak to one of the restaurant’s owners, who tells them that they are “trespassing on [her] private property.”
Patrons inside the restaurant repeatedly chant “get out!” until the two inspectors leave.
The Vancouver Police Department told Daily Hive no arrests or tickets were issued by police regarding that incident.
The VPD Liquor Coordinator attended Corduroy with Vancouver Coastal Health in response to several complaints.
“The Provincial Health authorities will seek further action as they see fit. We will continue to assist under their direction,” said the VPD.
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On Monday, Mayor Kennedy Stewart spoke out about the situation and said the “harassment and bullying” behaviour of these restaurant owners was “completely unacceptable.”
“I think the whole country was aghast at the behaviour of these restaurant owners who openly defied public health orders in the face of rising case counts and the spread of variants,” he said in a statement.
“The hospitality industry has done an exceptional job at keeping their workers and customers safe and I want to recognize those that have continued to follow public health orders.”
BC’s “circuit breaker” emergency restrictions were announced at the end of March and were implemented to curb a surging number of COVID-19 cases.
The three-week restrictions will be in place until April 19, 2021, and include a ban on indoor dining, forcing restaurants in the province to pivot once again.
With files from Vincent Plana