St. Catharines Boston Pizza liquor licence suspended after fatal 2023 crash

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has suspended a St. Catharines Boston Pizza’s liquor licence after a fatal crash last year.

The Crown agency says the decision follows a review of the incident in which the Boston Pizza located at 333 Ontario St. continued to serve alcohol to intoxicated customers before allowing them to drive and then get into a fatal collision.

The agency says the customers were demonstrating clear signs of intoxication but were still served alcohol, violating the Liquor Licence and Control Act.

The regulatory agency also says the business failed to ensure that an employee had a valid certificate showing they successfully completed a training course to sell liqueur.

The St. Catharines Boston Pizza’s liquor licence has been suspended for 60 days.

“Bars and restaurants have a duty to serve responsibly in order to keep their communities safe and avoid preventable harm,” reads a press release from the AGCO CEO and Registrar.

It further reads that the Crown agency will “continue to enforce its rigorous standards and hold licensees responsible.”

FATAL DECEMBER CAR CRASH

Niagara regional police investigated a single-vehicle crash in St. Catharines in the early hours of Dec. 18, 2023, near Eastchester Avenue and Bunting Road.

Officers reported a white Honda with three occupants had hit a tree.

Emergency crews said a man in his 20s was found in critical condition and died at the crash site. Paramedics brought a 19-year-old man to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the Honda, 29-year-old Cody Michael Black from St. Catharines, was arrested and taken to hospital for medical assessment soon after the crash.

READ MORE: Driver arrested after fatal single-vehicle crash in St. Catharines