Police Close After-Hours Bars in Roundabout Way

Toronto Police have spent the summer cracking down on Chinatown's 'cold tea' joints in an unexpected way. Instead of charging the owners of these illegal after hours bars, TPS is using the Civil Remedies Act to go after the landlords. The law allows them to throw the bottle book at the property owners if they are aware of illegal activities and don't try to stop them. The Act's been around since 2001 but has only recently been used to tackle the booze can issue.

Police have had trouble closing illegal after-hours bars because they would just re-open later.

Det.-Const. Dwayne King told CBC News: "After a while, [the landlords would] rent it to another booze can operator, and another circle begins - there was never a permanent solution to the problem." Then TPS started using the Civil Remedies Act and found immediate success.
· Chinatown Booze Cans in Police Crosshairs [CBC News]
· Introducing: Cold Tea, a New Kensington Market Bar That Nods to a Venerable Chinatown Tradition [Toronto Life]
· Resto Mash-Up [Eaterwire]