Dorval will appeal liquor permit for bar that allegedly targets Inuit community

'Archie’s' bar targeting Inuit community? A bar owner is eliciting controversy in Dorval, with a watering hole set to open 600 meters from Ullivik - an Inuit health Centre.

A bar owner in Dorval is being accused of targeting the Inuit community because of the location of his new establishment.

‘Archie’s' will be opening 600 meters away from Ullivik, an Inuit health center.

Every year, Ullivik offers medical care to thousands of Inuit patients from Northern Quebec. Some of them have alcohol problems, and every year the center says there are more than 1000 alcohol-related incidents.

The plan to open a bar just down the street has caregivers very concerned.

“It is a question of public interest here,” said Robert Boyd, a lawyer working with Ullivik.

“We have a real issue with alcohol consummation at the center, and we want to avoid a bar that is specifically targeting Inuit,” he said.

The ad the bar posted on Facebook makes its intentions to attract Inuit customers pretty clear – it reads: “Friends fun and live music become part of our family. All Inuit welcome.”

In a complaint filed to the Regie des Alcohols, the center said the bar is targeting a vulnerable clientele, and its permit should be refused,

“We know that our residents can grab a cab and go downtown, but we think that having this bar at a walking distance will not help at all the situation,” Boyd added.

But the Regie granted the permit anyway, saying “issuing the license to the applicant would not be contrary to public interest, or likely undermine public security or harm public tranquility.

The bar’s owner, Achilles Vriniortis already owns a bar called G-A in Alexis Nihon plaza downtown. Until a couple of years ago, the Ullivik Centre was just a couple of blocks away.

The center accuses Vriniorits of following their clients to a new location. But in a statement, he says the hotel where the new bar will be located is simply a good business measure.

I’m opening a restaurant with a liquor permit to cater to the guests of the hotel, like every other hotel in the area,” he writes. “In the vacinity [sic] of the airport, guests usually favour hotels with a restaurant in them.”

But even the City of Dorval wants the permit revoked, especially since there are already several bars in the area.

“We’re opposed of having such an establishment near a vulnerable population,” said city spokesperson Sebastien Gauthier. “We know the Ullivik center is nearby- they’re targeting that population.”

The Ullivik center plans to submit a formal appeal in the next few days,