Due to notification issues, city officials have reinstated an Edmonton bar’s business licence just one day after revoking it.
On Monday, the city announced Nyala Lounge, which had pleaded guilty to overcrowding earlier this year, had its business licence cancelled.
Owner Mulugeta Tesfay told Global News he did receive a letter from the city suggesting they were going to pull his business licence unless he responded within 14 days but that he was home in Africa after his father’s death when he received the letter.
READ MORE: Edmonton bar Nyala Lounge stripped of business licence
However, on Wednesday, a city spokesperson said an “issue with the process of notifying the owner of Nyala Lounge that his business licence was under review” was discovered on Tuesday.
As a result, the decision to revoke the business licence “has been cancelled and the owner is able to reopen the lounge,” Lisa Sobchyshyn said.
To explain further, the city said the original notification was sent Aug. 18 and the city was told the notice had been processed. Since there had been no response from the owner, the city issued a decision to cancel the business licence on Sept. 19, Sobchyshyn said.
“The notice package was returned to the city on Sept. 25, as undelivered,” her statement reads.
The city stressed it’s important the business owner is notified their licence is being reviewed. “That ensures a fair and equitable process,” the city said.
“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 initial review was launched after a recommendation from the Public Safety Compliance Team. The PSCT suggested the cancellation in the interest of “public and patron safety,” according to a news release from the city.
“To ensure all notices we send are received, the city will be pursuing different delivery options so that this does not happen again,” Sobchyshyn said in a statement.
The new licence review process may take several weeks, according to the city, and Nyala will be allowed to operate during that time.
Tesfay plans to open the lounge on Friday night but he fears some customers will be confused by the mixed messages.
“To get it back is really nice. It feels good,” he told Global News. “But the damage is already done.
“The… press conference, they named the place pretty much as a dangerous zone… damaged the name and the business and my customers.”
Tesfay said he’s hired a lawyer.
“This has become more personal now. It’s not about the business licence anymore; it’s pretty much about discrimination. So I’m going to fight it. I believe the justice system is fair for everybody so I’m going to fight back.
“They should treat everybody equal,” Tesfay said.
He added that he wants to ensure his lounge is a safe environment for the neighbourhood and customers. Tesfay said he’s willing to work with police to improve safety.
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