A now-closed downtown Calgary nightclub was slapped with a hefty fine after an inspection by the city’s Public Safety Task Force in July.
According to the city, the owner of Bespoke Nightclub was convicted on Wednesday of overcrowding, in relation to a July 16, 2017 inspection.
The city said that was the club’s fourth overcrowding conviction in less than three years — a first for Canada.
“According to court documents, no other business in Canada has been charged with an offence of this nature more than twice,” the city said in a news release.
“Overcrowding and other fire safety offences pose serious risks to patrons and the danger is potentially fatal.”
Calgary fire marshal James Robinson said while the city’s preferred approach to safety code violations is education, in some cases enforcement is needed.
“When an establishment has multiple violations, we need to work with our city and provincial partners to protect the public, patrons and employees of the establishment from injury or even death,” he said.
Businesses can be fined up to $100,000 for a first offence under the Safety Code Act and up to $500,000 for any subsequent violations. The fines are determined by the provincial courts.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision to convict the business owner and impose a substantial fine,” city prosecutor Paul Frank said. “This conviction and fine will remind business owners that it is their responsibility to comply with all requirements of the Alberta Fire Code.
“This case is precedent-setting for Safety Codes Act prosecutions in Alberta and significant for public safety, the Calgary Fire Department and the Public Safety Task Force.”
In a post on its Facebook page dated Sept. 17, Bespoke Nightclub said the city had shut the business down.
“This post won’t focus on the negative of the City of a Calgary shutting us down, but rather a thank you to all that have supported us over the past 4+ years,” the post reads. It went on to thank employees, DJs and others.
A spokesperson for the City of Calgary could not comment on what led to the closing of the nightclub.