Yorkregion.com - Whitchurch-Stouffville - Bars, restaurants clean
Bars, restaurants clean
Business
Mar 15, 2008 03:00 PM
No charges in York police sweep of Stouffville businesses; foot patrols making difference
By: Hannelore Volpe, Staff Writer
Stouffville’s bars, pubs and licenced restaurants get an “A” when it comes to complying with liquor and criminal laws.
Seven licenced establishments in town had surprise visits from York Region Police and an inspector from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario last month — and all came up clean, York Region Police Supt. Wayne Kalinski said.
The fact every bar and restaurant checked out perfectly is “very good for the community”, said Ruth LeBlanc, manager of the Stouffville Business Improvement Area.
The story was different in Markham, where 164 licenced establishments were checked, either in response to complaints or at random.
A total of 484 charges were laid against owners for such offences as permitting drunkenness, selling or serving alcohol to minors and overcrowding.
Underage drinking and other offences are usually seen more in the summer, with youths drinking in Stouffville’s parks and other areas.
Police are being proactive to fix the problem by “spending a lot of time on Main Street”, Supt. Kalinski said.
That means increased foot patrols by officers over the past couple of years, particularly overnight.
The increased surveillance also means there was less vandalism last summer.