The area around Adamson Barbeque in South Etobicoke was crawling with police and protestors as its owner defied a provincial court order to remain shut for a third day.

Earlier in the day Toronto Police and Public Health officials had changed the lock on the restaurant and arrested its owner, Adam Skelly.

Skelly was taken into custody by police on Thursday for openly defying the COVID-19 closure ban and charged with 13 offences, police said.

He is facing both criminal and non-criminal charges, including trespassing, intent to obstruct police, violating indoor dining rules, holding an illegal gathering and operating a business without a licence.

He was handcuffed outside the facility and placed into a police cruiser.

More than 100 mostly non-masked supporters had gathered outside Adamson for the past three days. They were shouting and swearing at the Media, the police and politicians.

The group had swarmed officers and shouted at them to let Skelly go.

A 27-year-old man from Markham was also arrested and charged with 10 offences, including five counts of spitting at an officer and two counts of uttering a death threat.

The protestors by late yesterday had set up shop protesting outside Premier Doug Ford’s home in central Etobicoke.

Ford said the group of people were posing a security risk to his neighbours.

Toronto Police Supt. Dom Sinopoli said the scene outside the restaurant was “dynamic.”

“We have now cautioned him (Skelly) up until today that our enforcement will progress and it did,” Sinopoli said.

He said he understands the frustration of some business owners during the lockdown, “but at the end of the day, if Mr. Skelly and others intend on contravening the law we will take action.”

Skelly has said he plans to reopen again.

Toronto Public Health has now taken occupancy of the entire premises and police will be posting trespassing signs prohibiting people from entering the building or the adjacent parking lot, police said.

 

 

It’s that time of year again!

Great Lakes Brewery and their customers are again fighting to end hunger in our communities this year with the annual Hops for Hunger campaign in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank.

The popular craft brewery is working with Daily Bread to raise funds for their hunger relief efforts, while gathering much needed food donations and building community spirit.

“I and the team at GLB look forward to this campaign each December,” said Peter Bulut, Owner and President of GLB. “Community means the world to us at the brewery and giving back to those who need it the most is the least we can do.”

Great Lakes has a 12-year relationship with the food bank as they continue to fed the needy in and around the city of Toronto, Bulut said.

From December 3, any customer who purchase a can of ‘Daily Bread White Eggnog Stout’ will contribute $1 to the food bank. Customers can purchase and drink a delicious well-crafted beer and help the community at the same time, he says.

”We brewed White Eggnog Stout in support of Daily Bread in 2018 and it continues to be very well-received each holiday season,” says Bulut.

GLB is also introducing a second brew, ‘Belgian Winter Ale’, as part of this year’s campaign.

Cans of these specialty beers sells for $4 each and are available through the GLB online shop for free local delivery. Customers can purchase White Eggnog Stout or Belgian Winter Ale at the GLB retail store, at 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd. One dollar from each can sold, of either brand, will be donated to Daily Bread.

 

 

 

It was like a rally outside Adamson Barbeque in South Etobicoke as a case involving its opening despite a public health order attracted a cast of characters who showed up to protest.

Police for the most part on November 25 were talking to owner Adam Skelly, of the Queen Elizabeth Way restaurant, which advertised on social media that it was opening anyway as other places were forced to close.

News of the opening spread like the virus and next thing public health, police and other officials were at his door.

Skelly, owner of the eatery, was serving customers on Wednesday despite a public health order to close and police inside his premises.

By the end of the day, he was charged nine offences involving public health, reopening his business and other bylaw infractions. None were criminal charges.

Police and public health officials accused him of flouting provincial orders that were put in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

He and his business can face fines in excess of $10,000 for the provincial offences.

Outside the restaurant more than 100 anti-maskers spent the day protesting and calling for their freedom not to wear masks. Many were mocking the assembled media and politicians, including Mayor John Tory and Premier Doug Ford.

On the road a steady stream of vehicles, with music blaring, went back and forth with drivers blowing their horns.

Councillor Mark Grimes said city officials just cannot shut down the facility and will have to look at other options.

The barbeque hut had a Public Health sign posted on the front window stating it is closed.

Toronto Police Supt. Dom Sinopoli said on Wednesday that Skelly and the restaurant face nine charges, including violating indoor dining rules, holding an illegal gathering and operating a business without a licence. Four of the charges were laid on Tuesday.

The fine is up to $50,000 for a corporation and up to $25,000 for an individual or officer or director, officials say.

It was only last Monday that Toronto and Peel Region entered a 28-day lockdown, forcing restaurants to close their patios and keep indoor dining rooms shuttered.

Restaurants can only serve takeout or food delivery. Hair, nail, massage and other salons are closed in the 28-day anti-virus closure order.

Skelly, whose company has locations in Etobicoke and Leaside, said small businesses as himself are being singled out as large corporations, as Costco or Walmart, continue to grow and serve customers.

 

Community barber Andy Dinner is not in a good mood today.

Your Neighbourhood Barbershop, at 2858  Lake Shore Blvd. W., has only been open for 88-days and now it is among the many businesses in New Toronto ordered closed for 28 days as the City and province fights the spread of COVID-19.

Dinner, with apprentice Ariel Quesnelle, will both be out of work on midnight on November 23 as plans are underway to fight the pandemic.

“This is our busy time of the year and I was hoping to do well and catch up,” Dinner says as he smokes outside his salon. “This will set me back thousands of dollars because I have to close.”

In the last few days he has become very busy with customers booking appointments online as news of the shutdown spread and people wanted to look good for the holidays.

“Everyone wants a haircut and to look nice for Christmas,” Dinner says. “My social media exploded with people booking appointments as the news broke.”

This weekend he will be styling the hair of as many as two dozen clients daily to make some extra bucks before the shutdown. He plans to work 14 to 16-hour days to accommodate his clients.

“I am so very disappointed,” Dinner insists. “This is our busiest time of the year and I will be closed.” Fellow business people and customers wish him well or give a fist pump as they pass by.

Dinner may work in the construction trade with a relative to earn some money during the closure.

Quesnelle is also angry since she was one month into her apprenticeship and will have to miss 28-days.

“I don’t know what I am going to do now,” she says. “All I want to do is become a full barber so I can have a chair at a salon somewhere.”

Down the street at Dakota’s Sports Bar & Grill, co-owners Darlene Simpson and Cindy Sabetti are shaking their heads not knowing what else to do to survive.

They have used up their personal lines of credit, savings, mortgage to keep their bar afloat.

Recently they purchased tents for their parking lot, where customers can dine, but the tents were destroyed in a fierce windstorm.

“It is getting to the edge with us and we don’t know what else to do,” Sabetti says. “We just cannot take it anymore.”

The business partners say they do not know how they will survive for 28-days on takeout orders.

Also closed are hair salons, spas, hairdressers and only takeout service for bars and restaurants.

These stolen items from area stores were intercepted by police just before they were sold online.

Police from 22 Division have arrested two women from the Niagara Region who they allege were ripping off clothing and other items from an Evans Ave. store which were then sold on the Internet.

Police say members of their Community Response Unit began a probe following a theft from a retail outlet in the Evans Ave. and The West Mall area.

It didn’t take long before officers, along with Asset Protection Officers from the stores, linked several occurrences from multiple retailers throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Police allege the “women were attending multiple retail outlets throughout the GTA and selecting large quantities of clothing and household items from various retailers.”

“They would then leave, making no attempt to pay for the selected merchandise,” officers said in a press release.

“The women then took the items to two separate addresses in the Niagara Region and placed the items for sale on a social media platform,” according to detectives.

The duo were arrested after police issued warrants to search two premises in Niagara Region.

Donna Decloux, 54, and Amanda Lair, 31, have been arrested and face a number of charges.  They are before the courts.