Café owner loses business licence
Volume 45 No. 7
May 31, 2016
THE OWNER of the controversial Cloud 9 café has had his business licence permanently revoked following a hearing earlier this month. The Toronto Licensing Tribunal heard from Hussein Souddo, owner of Rotana Inc. and the Danforth’s Cloud 9 café, and counsel representing the city’s municipal licensing standard branch on May 16 and 18. Tribunal chair Richard Quan decided at the hearing’s end to permanently revoke the café’s business licence. The café had its licence suspended temporarily following a shooting outside of the café earlier this year. The shooting, which killed 20-year-old Abdullah Farah April 17, was the third homicide in the immediate vicinity over three years.
Neighbouring residents and councillors have long complained about the business and were vocal that they wanted the licence revoked. The storefront the café operated from along with several other storefronts in the building is set to open as a daycare, but residents were concerned that the owner would move Cloud 9 to another location in the area. While the licence for this particular building has been revoked, Souddo could still apply for a new business licence. The tribunal heard testimony from Souddo, who stated that he and his wife have fallen on financial hardship following the closure of the café. He was concerned that the revoking of this licence would impact his ability to open up another business.
We all scream for ice cream Four-year-old twins Lola and Astrid Burr enjoy a cool treat at the Fairmount Park Farmers Market May 25. PHOTO: ANNA KILLEN
‘NIMBY-ism at its worst’ turfs plan for soccer field upgrade By Anna Killen
WHAT WAS to be $2 million dollar FIFA-grade upgrade to the St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School soccer field has been turfed, following public opposition that a spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) calls “NIMBY-ism at its worst.” Ryerson University planned to renovate the ailing East End soccer field as part of a partnership between the university and the TCDSB that would see the field shared between St. Patrick students, Ryerson students, and the public. Plans called for state-ofthe-art lights, FIFA-grade turf, and removable bleachers. Unlike the nearby Monarch Park soccer dome, this field would not be domed, nor
would it be a commercial for-profit enterprise – it would have been open and accessible for the community. “What would have been a jewel in terms of improved open space for the community is not going to happen, and that’s unfortunate,” said TCDSB spokesperson John Yan. “It’s an example of NIMBY-ism at its worst.” That’s because earlier this month Ryerson decided to find another location for the project after hearing “significant” negative feedback from numerous residents – a Ryerson spokesperson said they recently heard from about 70 people. This was a shift from initial meetings in March that revealed support for the proposed project among the school community and local residents.
“We believe this was a sensible proposal that would have benefitted the community around St. Patrick,” said Ryerson in a statement. “While some community members were in favour, it became increasingly apparent that this project, and the unique set of circumstances at this location, meant we could not meet the needs of the end users while addressing the concerns of the community.” The area’s city councillor, Ward 30 representative Paula Fletcher, rallied against the project, citing community concerns over increased traffic and impact on the surrounding neighbourhood. “Unfortunately, the city councillor representing the ward, Ms. Paula Fletcher, had declared her strong opposition to the project,
citing the current negative impact of the nearby Monarch Park domed sports facility,” reads a letter from St. Patrick’s principal Sandra Mudryj to the school community expressing her “deep disappointment” that the project would not proceed. Fletcher, in a letter to her constituents dated April 28, wrote “many residents have contacted my office with concerns about the Ryerson University and Toronto Catholic School Board proposal to build an artificial field and club house at St. Patrick’s Secondary School. The concerns have ranged from traffic, safety and parking to lighting and noise – but the underlying message is that this new field and club house would pose an unreasonable burden on the local community.
“” “What would have been a jewel … is not going to happen, and that’s unfortunate” – John Yan TCDSB spokesperson
“I have looked closely at the project and determined that it is not viable to have two large-scale recreational fields … in a small landlocked neighourhood,” she wrote. Continued on Page 2