St. Catharines Boston Pizza Faces Liquor Licence Suspension After Fatal Crash

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The Boston Pizza on Ontario Street in St. Catharines is under scrutiny following a tragic incident involving patrons who were allegedly overserved. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has proposed a 60-day suspension of the restaurant’s liquor licence after these patrons were involved in a fatal car crash.

Photo credit: Julie Jocsak, St. Catharines Standard.

Violations and Investigation Findings

On the evening of December 17 and into December 18, the AGCO reports a serious issue. Boston Pizza staff served alcohol to visibly intoxicated guests. Later, these individuals left the restaurant and were involved in a severe car crash. The accident resulted in one death and another passenger injured.

Dr. Karin Schnarr, CEO and registrar of the AGCO, stressed responsible service. “Bars and restaurants must serve responsibly to ensure community safety and prevent harm,” she said in a press release.

The AGCO investigation revealed several violations at the Boston Pizza location. Staff served alcohol to visibly intoxicated individuals. They also failed to verify that all staff handling liquor had valid training certificates.

St. Catharines Boston Pizza
File photo of a Boston Pizza restaurant sign. Photo by Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press.

Response and Consequences

The tragic outcome of the night’s events became apparent when emergency responders were called to the scene of the accident at Bunting Road and Eastchester Avenue. A white Honda had struck a tree, leading to immediate critical injuries for a male passenger in his 20s, who later died at the scene. 

Another 19-year-old passenger sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police charged the driver, a 29-year-old man from St. Catharines, with impaired operation causing death and bodily harm.

The AGCO’s stringent regulations aim to prevent such incidents by holding liquor licensees to high standards of responsibility. Establishments found in violation of these standards face serious repercussions, including licence suspensions.

Boston Pizza has the option to appeal the notice of proposal to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an independent adjudicative body part of Tribunals Ontario.

CTV News Toronto attempted to contact Boston Pizza to comment but received no immediate response.

This incident serves as a critical reminder of the responsibilities that come with alcohol service, and the devastating impact of negligence on community safety. The AGCO continues to enforce rigorous standards to avoid such tragedies in the future.

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