Downtown Hamilton restaurant facing several COVID-19 charges
A downtown Hamilton restaurant is facing several charges after allegedly flouting COVID-19 regulations over the long weekend.
City bylaw staff laid five charges against Born and Raised on Sept. 5 for failing to comply with the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA).
The charges include exceeding maximum capacity, absence of contact tracing, failing to enforce physical distancing, and violating face covering and COVID safety plan mandates.
Under step three of the province's reopening plan, restaurants and bars can host indoor and outdoor diners insofar as there are two metres of space between them. There are no limits on the number of people per table.
It's unclear what the capacity is at Born and Raised. The restaurant could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The infractions at the James Street North eatery were part of 26 COVID-related charges city staff issued to businesses and residents over the weekend, said Jason Thorne, the city's director of emergency operations.
We still do hear that businesses aren't aware of the rules or that the rules have changed," Thorne said at a press briefing Tuesday. But I would say (to) people in the restaurant industry (that) these rules have been in place for a period of time and we are at the point where we're going to lay charges."
The majority of charges - 14 - were filed under the ROA, including two each at Confidence Hair Salon on Ottawa Street North, Queenston Fish and Chips on Queenston Road and Day's Inn on Main Street East. There were also eight face covering and four physical distancing infractions issued at undisclosed locations.
Thorne said despite the rise in vaccination rates and easing of public health restrictions, city staff will continue to enforce COVID legislation.
It's our expectation that businesses should know what the rules are, and most do," he said. We go to a lot of businesses and, for the most part, see very good compliance. Where we don't see it, we are proceeding with charges."
Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com