The Duke of York Tavern -- where 23-year-old Bailey Zaveda was shot dead last weekend -- has long been on the radar of Ontario's liquor license regulator, which is investigating complaints against the bar.
The establishment is facing possible disciplinary action in a case that has been pending since September -- well before the lethal shooting that followed a Saturday morning bar fight, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario spokesperson Lisa Murray tells CP24.com.
Murray says she can't release details on the nature of the investigation until the case faces the AGCO board in December, due to privacy regulations.
The commission handles breaches of the Liquor License Act such as serving minors, serving beyond of the point of intoxication, serving beyond 2 a.m. as well as administrative issues including improper liquor licenses and documentation.
According to AGCO records, the bar -- which has had the same license owners since 1990 -- was the subject of a community petition submitted to the commission in 2002.
The complaint alleged groups of people were routinely hanging out outside the bar and intimidating members of the community. It also claimed that drug activity was taking place on the bar's premises, located at 1225 Queen St E.
Murray says AGCO inspectors responding to the complaint did not find evidence of drug dealing, noting the commission can't do much about people loitering outside.
"Standing outside the bar is something that isn't necessarily in the control of the licensee," she says.
A man who identified himself as George, the Duke of York manager, said he was unavailable for comment when called by CP24.com on Wednesday afternoon.
Pressure to deal with the bar -- and others in Leslieville -- has been mounting for years. Neighbourhood residents say they've warned officials about questionable activity in and outside the bar repeatedly.
Local business owner John Raitt tells CP24.com that concerned citizens have long pleaded with authorities to enforce liquor-serving laws at the Duke of York Tavern and two nearby establishments.
Bars are legally required to stop serving patrons who appear intoxicated. However, Raitt says customers are often highly inebriated -- and prone to fighting -- when leaving the establishment.
Raitt -- who lives above his business, about a block and a half from the Duke -- believes the bar is serving customers beyond the point of intoxication.
"We constantly phone (police) about bar fights that spill out onto the streets," he says. "It's not just at night -- it can be going on all day."
Raitt says fights, such as the one that culminated with the shooting death of the female bystander, are common around closing time at the establishment, and at nearby bars Jones Avenue and Teddy's Sports Bar and Grill.
"Once we get alcohol into the mix and these people have access to guns, problems happen," Raitt says. "We just want them to do business properly."
According to AGCO records, 35 complaints have been received about Teddy's since January 2006. The bar's liquor license has been suspended once a year since then: for seven days in 2006, for nine days in 2007 and for seven days in 2008.
Jones Avenue has been the subject of six complaints since January 2006, resulting in two suspensions -- for 14 days in 2007 and for 18 days in 2008.
The Duke of York has not had any suspensions since its license was granted in 1990.
Raitt says little has changed in the neighbourhood despite the routine disciplinary actions taken against the other two bars. He says he'd love to see the venues shut down for good.
That's easier said than done. Murray notes the AGCO doesn't have the power to close an establishment, just revoke its liquor license.
"Whether or not an establishment decides to (stay open while its license is suspended) is a business decision they have to make," she says. "I think the basic message is we have been made aware of concerns by the public, the councillors and the police.
"They are absolutely on our radar."
