PAUSE BUTTON AT STRIP CLUB
Business owner filing new paperwork in bid to satisfy city bylaws
The owner of a members-only Regina strip club says dealings with the City of Regina have been cordial, despite an order requiring the venue to comply with local bylaws.
Regina 151 owner Darrin Oremba said Friday that he was approached by the city 10 days ago.
“They laid out what they felt that their opinion was and asked me to follow up,” Oremba said. “We went back to our legal people, spoke to them and now we’re following (up).”
He said the city has been very polite and he has agreed to cooperate by putting operations “on hold” — not formally shutting down — until the issue is resolved.
The club is now in the process of acquiring new “paperwork and permits,” but Oremba would not say exactly what kind of paperwork is required to bring it in line with the bylaws.
“We want to be legal with the city and the province, and we’ll take the steps to do so,” he later added.
Regina 151 has operated without a provincial liquor licence or city zoning permission since opening April 28. In a previous interview, Oremba said he believed neither was needed, given the nature of the venue, described on its website as “the city’s first private membersonly gentleman’s club.”
Last month, the city said it was reviewing “operational aspects” of the club to determine and assess whether or not it was in compliance with local bylaws.
The operation of an “adult entertainment establishment” requires a discretionary-use zoning application to the city, with councillors having the final say on approval or not. The City of Regina confirmed last month that it hadn’t received an application for the club.
“I can’t confirm it has been shut down, but we have been telling them what they’ve got to do to comply,” Mayor Michael Fougere told reporters Friday when asked about the club at an unrelated news conference.
The city has previously said adult-entertainment establishments are currently not a permitted use in the Industrial Tuxedo Park Zone under Regina Zoning Bylaw No. 9250, but has not confirmed whether or not Regina 151 falls under that category.
“We are going to co-operate and provide them what they need and will update everyone when we know anything new,” said a post on the Regina 151 Facebook page. “For now this means no events for at least the next month.”
Attached to the post was a photo of a man wrapped in red tape.
Oremba confirmed the club also received a letter from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority the same day as the city reached out, but that it did not request any action or followup.
“SLGA shared information with the business about the liquor permitting requirements,” SLGA spokesperson David Morris said in an emailed statement on Friday. “SLGA’S regulatory authority extends only to businesses that hold a liquor permit. However, it’s not unusual for SLGA to educate individuals or businesses that may be operating without a liquor permit about provincial requirements under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act.”
The province’s liquor laws prohibit a mix of stripping and booze in bars. At Regina 151, patrons receive complimentary drinks after paying their upfront membership fee.
Oremba said Regina 151 has ceased operations as a courtesy, and while he said communications with the city have been friendly at present, “there may be a bit of a fight later here. We’re just doing all our research right now.”