City of Vancouver suspends business licence, checks nearly 7,000 establishments

THE City of Vancouver has suspended the business licence of the Tim Hortons operating at 108 West Pender Street due to violations of the orders of the Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and the City of Vancouver that limit the number of persons allowed in a restaurant and which restrict restaurants to take out and delivery service.

The suspension is authorized by section 277 of the Vancouver Charter, because the failure to comply is considered to be “gross misconduct.”

Property use inspectors visited the site on four different occasions and issued several warnings. The business licence was suspended on March 26. The suspension will be in effect for three days.

Property Use Inspectors have visited over 5,800 restaurants and 1,000 personal care facilities since March 20, and will continue to do so to ensure compliance with the Provincial Health Officer and the City’s orders to help combat the spread of COVID-19.  

The City of Vancouver’s 3-1-1 intake has received 69 complaints about restaurants and 11 about personal service establishments such as salons, which were ordered closed by the Provincial Health Officer.

Individuals and businesses found to be in violation of a City order issued under the State of Emergency bylaw are liable for fines of up to $50,000. To date, the City of Vancouver has not issued any tickets for such violations.

The City said it is pleased to see how responsive restaurant owners have been to date and thanked the vast majority of businesses that are taking the directions from the City and public health officials seriously.

The City said: “We appreciate there is a lot of information circulating at this time, and not all of it is coming from verified sources. All updates from the City of Vancouver will be noted within our news releases, on our website, and our verified social feeds. Residents are encouraged to follow @CityofVancouver on Twitter to receive the latest updates on COVID-19 response.”