TORONTO —
Police have returned to an Etobicoke barbecue restaurant that was ordered to close indefinitely after openly flouting public health restrictions prohibiting on-site dining.
Dozens of officers showed up at the Queen Elizabeth Blvd. location of Adamson Barbecue on Wednesday morning after owner Adam Skelly vowed to reopen in contravention of the Toronto Public Health order.
The enhanced police presence comes one day after dozens of customers were seen eating inside and on picnic benches set up outside the restaurant in direct contravention of the lockdown order that went into place in Toronto at the start of the week.
The brazen flouting of rules eventually led to a decision by Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa to use her powers under the Health Protection and Promotions Act to order the business to close but by the time police showed up to shut it down it was after 4 p.m. and Skelly was already in the process of closing for the day.
In a post on the restaurant’s official Instagram page last night Skelly shared a animated image of him standing on a police cruiser and wielding a spatula along with the caption “Etobicoke. 11 a.m. to sold out. Dine-in.” He then showed up at the restaurant at around 10 a.m., replying “absolutely” when asked by CP24 whether he planned to reopen.
“I think you are going to find there will be people there really quickly to enforce the law (if he does reopen),” Toronto Mayor John Tory told CP24 earlier on Wednesday morning.
“And I would say that if he comes back a second day after being ordered the first day to close he is free to do that but so are the authorities free then to throw the book at him, which is exactly what they should do. It is not my decision but I hope they throw the book at him.”
Police and bylaw officer actually showed up at Adamson Barbecue shortly after it opened on Tuesday but did not close it down at the time, telling reporters that it wouldn’t be safe “to go in and physically remove everyone” due to the “sheer number of people” that showed up.
Staff Superintendent Mark Barkley, however, told reporters later in the day that it was a “mistake” not to act earlier in the day.
He said that if customers return to the restaurant today police will be “prepared to deal with people who refuse to leave the premises.”
“If he opens tomorrow we will be here,” he said. “We will have a presence and we will ensure compliance with the order.”
Staff Superintendent Mark Barkley, however, told reporters later in the day that it was a “mistake” not to act at the time.
He said that if customers return to the restaurant today police will be “prepared to deal with people who refuse to leave the premises.”
“If he opens tomorrow we will be here,” he said. “We will have a presence and we will ensure compliance with the order.”
‘A bad apple spoiling it for everyone else’
The decision by Skelly to operate in contravention of provincial emergency orders was criticized by a number of officials, including Tory and Premier Doug Ford.
On Wednesday the Vice President of Central Canada for the lobby group Restaurants Canada James Rilett told CP24 that there is a “lot of frustration in the industry right now,” as most restauranteurs believe that they can operate safely.
But he said that what transpired at Adamson Barbecue one day prior was far from safe with little regard paid to even the most basic of precautions, like ensuring physical distancing in lineups and between tables.
“It is a really unfortunate situation. Restaurant have done so much to promote safety and to show that they can serve their customers safely and abide by the rules. Something like this just puts everyone in a bad light and unfortunately it is one of those situations where a bad apple really is spoiling it for everyone else,” he said.
Individuals who violate the province’s emergency orders could face fines of anywhere from $750 to $100,000.
