A nightclub on Toronto’s bustling Queen West strip will soon be forced to shutter due to the loss of its liquor licence — albeit only temporarily — after an overserved teenaged patron died inside.
The incident took place back in May at Mister Wolf, a spot opened in the old Tattoo Rock Parlour space near Queen and Bathurst streets in late 2019.
As outlined by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), staff at the club served a 19-year-old “three large bottles of liquor” in the establishment’s VIP area on May 25, which led to him drinking until he was visibly incoherent and, eventually, passing away inside a stairwell that was not meant to be publicy accessible.
“After consuming numerous drinks throughout the night, the patron began repeatedly stumbling, staggering, losing his balance, engaging in physical altercations with other patrons, and exhibiting visible signs of intoxication. At no point did security or staff at the establishment intervene in any way,” an AGCO release posted Wednesday reads.
Damning toxicology analysis revealed that the teen’s blood alcohol level to be more than 0.16 per cent, or twice the legal limit for operating a vehicle in the province. At this level, the authority believes that “staff at the licensed establishment knew or ought to have known that the deceased was exhibiting clear signs of intoxication and failed to intervene as required.”
This is in contravention of the licencing subsection of the Liquor Licence and Control Act.
As the AGCO states in other areas of its website, “under the Liquor Licence Act, it is illegal to serve customers to intoxication, promote practices that may encourage customers to become intoxicated, or serve someone who is showing signs of intoxication. Licensees who do can have their liquor sales licence suspended or lose their liquor sales licence permanently.”
In this case, it is proposed that Mister Wolf have its licence to sell booze suspended for 60 days. It also faces separate police charges under the act.
“The AGCO will be closely monitoring the licence holder’s plans for corrective actions and their implementation following the suspension,” the statement adds.
“We trust a 60-day suspension of their liquor licence will motivate this licensee to take all necessary actions to ensure responsible service and the safety of their patrons. The AGCO will certainly be monitoring closely that they do.”
As of Thursday morning, Mister Wolf is still advertising events for this forthcoming Friday, January 17, and Saturday, January 18, which include “exclusive bottle service pricing” in the VIP area that the customer in question had been served in. The comments on their most recent Instagram posts have been turned off at the time of writing.
The bar notably has a 3.0 Google rating out of 404 reviews — quite poor — with numerous one-star reviews and complaints about the security staff in particular going back several months.
A couple reviews also commented on the incident specifically — a few of them by those who claim to be friends of the deceased, though blogTO has not independently verified these claims.
“My friend lost his life due to the ignorance, unprofessionalism and negligence of this club’s staff. They decided to close the place without making sure everyone was out and because of this, my friend is gone. This is a club without proper management and does not care about you or your safety. I would advise nobody to go to this club. Stay safe,” one reads.
The author of another one-star review claimed to have witnessed bouncers “laying hands” on people outside the venue last summer.
An update reads, “Just read about the person who passed away inside the club. Somehow not surprised after witnessing the assault. Will not be returning. How do you have multiple security staff at every corner inside and out and not realize there’s a person in the venue? Careless. Reckless. Par for the course it seems.”
Mister Wolf sent blogTO a statement on the matter on Thursday, writing, “we were saddened to learn that on the early morning of May 26, 2024, a young man was found deceased in the building where Mister Wolf is located. The incident remains an ongoing investigation and we continue to work tirelessly with all the local authorities to ensure a resolution.”
“As always, the safety, security and privacy of our patrons are of utmost importance to us. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the deceased and we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to them.”
