St. Catharines nightclub loses liquor licence following April shooting

A Niagara Regional Police Service sign is shown in St. Catharines, Ont., Friday, March 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett

A St. Catharines nightclub that was the site of a shooting that wounded a 16-year-old in April has had its liquor licence suspended.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says that it has issued an order to temporarily suspend the liquor licence belonging to Club 88 and to begin the process of permanently revoking the licenced.

The decision comes after an April 27 shooting inside the club that left a 16-year-old Ajax boy with non-life threatening injuries.

The AGCO said that while police have since made criminal arrests in connection with the shooting, it has been in the process of conducting its own “regulatory investigation.”

In a news release, the AGCO said that “despite repeated attempts to confirm the identities of those involved in the club’s ownership and operations, investigators encountered a prolonged pattern of inconsistent and contradictory information.”

The release notes that the suspension of the club’s licence is necessary “to protect the public interest and compel accountability.:

“Honesty and transparency are absolute requirements for those who hold a liquor licence in Ontario. When ownership is hidden, accountability disappears, putting public safety at risk. We will always act decisively to uphold the integrity of licensees and protect Ontarians,” the AGCO’s Chief Executive Officer and Registrar Karin Schnarr said in the release.