A bar operator in Haida Gwaii has been fined $3,000 after an undercover liquor inspector was offered what appeared to be cocaine before being confronted by two men with knives inside the establishment. The inspector was inside the bar at Misty Harbour Inn in Daajing Giids about an hour before closing time on March 1, according to a decision posted by the B.C. Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch. What happened inside the bar The adjudicator heard that the inspector had ordered a beer and was standing at the bar when he was approached by a man claiming to be the owner. After some conversation, the man, identified as Patron 1, asked the undercover inspector if he’d like to do a “bump” while producing a bag containing what appeared to be white powder—which the inspector declined. The decision notes a “bump” is slang for inhaling a small dose of a drug such as cocaine. At this point, the adjudicator heard the patron began joking that the inspector was a police officer and repeated the accusation when introducing him to the bar’s third-party operator. Patron 1 later ordered 18 “vodka mixed shots” for customers at the bar. The adjudicator found both he and the third-party operator consumed shots before displaying knives in view of staff and patrons. According to the decision, Patron 1 opened a folding knife with a “4-to-5 inch blade” and pointed it toward the inspector. “The TPO then pulled out a curved, non-foldable knife from the waist area of his trousers and began twirling the knife in a figure-8 motion,” the decision reads. The situation escalated from there, with Patron 1 allegedly raising his fists, asking the inspector if he wanted to fight, taking photographs of him and telling other patrons he was a police officer. The inspector left the bar 45 minutes after arriving “due to personal safety concerns” and contacted RCMP. The consequences The third-party operator was arrested the following day and officers seized multiple knives from him, according to the decision. “Criminal charges arising from the incident were subsequently laid. The charges had not been determined at the time of the hearing,” the decision states. The bar’s liquor licence was suspended from March 6 to March 20. A hearing was later held, resulting in a $3,000 fine after the regulator found the establishment had allowed a person with a knife to remain on the premises. While the regulator had sought a $5,000 penalty, the adjudicator decided to impose a lesser fine, reasoning the establishment had already served a 14-day licence suspension and had no prior history of this contravention. The fine must be paid by Sept. 25.
