Liquor authority demands safety measures boost at Main Street hotel

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This article was published 29/09/2023 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pair of recent violent incidents in which one man was shot in the face and another stabbed in the eye could lead to stiffer safety requirements for a Main Street bar and vendor.

Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba confirmed it has mandated additional security measures at the Northern Hotel, following a shooting Thursday night and an incident last month in which a patron was stabbed.

“The safety of staff customers and the public are of utmost concern,” Alison Mitchell, LGCA communications manager, said Friday.

The victims in both incidents survived their wounds, but the provincial authority is now recommending the Winnipeg business install metal detectors and digital identification scanners to deter future violence.

The Lord Selkirk Park neighbourhood hotel has until Oct. 20 to comply with the requirements, Mitchell said.

Northern’s owner, Keith Ward, said he intends to appeal the decision.

“In my opinion, they are now overreacting,” he said by phone Friday.

“I have to appeal and go in front of a board to plead my case, so I don’t have to scan everybody’s ID and (metal detector) wand them… It would be driving away business.”

Horn, who has operated the hotel since 1997, said many of its patrons are elderly and do not carry ID, while others may be reluctant to consent to such measures.

He estimated he would need to hire four additional employees to accommodate such increased security, and pointed to several measures already in place, including CCTV cameras, panic buttons and in-house policies preventing patrons from entering with backpacks and bags.

Horn said there was nothing workers could have done to prevent the recent shooting.

“Staff are pretty vigilant in watching people and making sure that. If there is even a hint that something is going to happen, they walk over to the person and tell them to either calm down or go home. Last night, there was no indication,” he said.

“You never want to see anything like that happen.”

Around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, a man who had been at the Northern Hotel for roughly 45 minutes walked up to another patron and shot him in the face as he entered the lobby, Horn said.

“As soon as he came in, he attacked him, and he had a small-calibre gun that caught him in the cheek,” he said.

“There wasn’t an argument, there wasn’t pushing and shoving, there was no pre-fight to any of this. All of a sudden, one guy walks up behind another guy and that’s it. It looked like he turned around to talk to him… and then it just happened very quickly; within seconds.”

Patrol and tactical support police officers were soon on scene on the 800 block of Main Street. Tactical officers secured the area and the injured man was taken to hospital in unstable condition, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a release.

Major crimes officers are investigating. A male suspect is being sought.

Horn watched first responders pack the injured man’s wound with gauze before taking him away. After reviewing video footage of the incident, he believes the victim and perpetrator knew each other.

Police previously visited the hotel for another serious incident Aug. 25.

Around 2 a.m., officers responded to reports of a stabbing. A man was initially transported to hospital in unstable condition.

Two people were later arrested, WPS said.

The incident prompted the initial safety inspection, but the LGCA is aware of, and investigating, Thursday’s shooting, as well, Mitchell said.

Inspectors regularly visit licensed establishments. If safety concerns are identified, those businesses may be subject to more frequent inspections. Punitive measures range from education and training seminars to mandated security measures, fines and — in the most serious cases — liquor licence suspensions, she said.

“Incidents like this are not all that common, but they do occur,” she said, adding the provincial authority must strike a balance safety and business interests.

“Just because an incident like this happened, that doesn’t necessarily lead to a licence suspension. There are a lot of factors that have to be considered.”

All licensees are responsible for maintaining a safe environment, including ensuring staff have adequate training and do not serve alcohol to minors or overly-intoxicated people, she added.

“We do expect those conditions to be met, but obviously there are things that are out of licensees’ control.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca