Shisha bar gets licence back after improper review process

The city has reversed its decision earlier this week to cancel the licence of a downtown shisha bar because the owner wasn’t properly notified and left without a chance to respond.

Nyala Lounge at 10875 98 St. had its business licence revoked last Wednesday by the city’s public safety compliance team (PSCT) citing 75 complaints and 22 reports of violence they’ve responded to since May 2015.

But on Wednesday, the city said the cancellation has been rescinded and a new licence review process will begin because bar owner Mulugeta Tesfay wasn’t properly notified of the licence being under review.

This is my life. They destroyed my name, they destroyed my business and they destroyed my customer reputation.

A notice was sent out Aug. 18, but the package was returned as undelivered on Tuesday, the city said in a statement Wednesday.

“It is important the owner of a business be notified of a licence review as that ensures a fair and equitable process. Therefore, the city took immediate action to revoke the decision to cancel the licence, and will restart the business licence review process for Nyala Lounge to ensure the owner has full opportunity to participate in the review,” the statement read.

The licence was cancelled after the city didn’t hear back from Tesfay within the allotted time. Tesfay said he was in Ethiopia for a family emergency during this time and was told his licence had been cancelled when he returned.

“This is my life. They destroyed my name, they destroyed by business and they destroyed my customer reputation,” Tesfay said after he received notice that Nyala Lounge can continue to operate. “I’m going to fight for it. I’m looking for justice.”

A notice of proposal to cancel the business licence has been reissued and the review process can take several weeks, the city said.

“A decision on whether or not the licence will be revoked will be based on the submissions from the owner and from the public safety compliance team,” the statement said.

The city said it will be looking into different delivery options for notices sent out to prevent this technical issue from happening.

Conditions were placed on the bar in June after several visits from police, including setting a smaller capacity limit, the use of an ID scanning system, video surveillance and use of a metal detector. The bar received 82 violations of these conditions totalling $24,000 in tickets on more than 25 occasions, PSCT support manager Justin Lallemand said at a Monday news conference.

Tesfay said his main goal moving forward is to work with the police to run a safe environment for his customers and the surrounding community.