Ontario restaurant owner 'infuriated' after walking by busy bar at Toronto airport
The owner of an Ontario restaurant says he was "infuriated" when he saw more than 20 people eating at a bar in Toronto Pearson International Airport this week while indoor dining is banned for most of the province.
Adam Matthews, owner of 72 Bolton Sports Café in Bobcaygeon, Ont., said he was passing through the airport on Monday morning when he noticed people eating at Beerhive in Terminal 3.
He says he took a photo that shows more than 20 people sitting at the restaurant. Most people in the photo are not wearing a mask and there appears to be limited physical distancing and no plexiglass.
Restaurants in Ontario were ordered by the provincial government to close for indoor dining on Jan. 5 as COVID-19 cases hit record levels. Indoor dining will be allowed to resume on Jan. 31, with capacity limits in place.
During the closure, indoor dining at Toronto Pearson was never ordered to close.
"It's double standard," Matthews told CTV News Toronto. "It feels like anything the government controls, those businesses are wide open, while all us small businesses are at their mercy."
According to a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), indoor dining is permitted post-security at 50 per cent capacity, with parties of up to 10 people permitted to sit together.
The GTAA said indoor dining at airport restaurants is only open to same-day travellers, and therefore all people are fully vaccinated. They said when sitting down at a restaurant, passengers and employees are only permitted to remove their masks when they are in the act of consuming food or a beverage.
Matthews said it was a "slap in the face" to walk by the bar and see no plexiglass set up between guests, especially since he was forced to spend money to install it at his restaurant.
"You walk into these airport bars and there is nothing," he said. "There is no plexiglass up, you just sit down and eat. It’s absolutely infuriating."
The GTAA spokesperson said regular audits are preformed on food and beverages locations within the airport to ensure they are complying with public health guidelines.
"GTAA has been in contact with OTG regarding this photo," a spokesperson said.
OTG is the company that manages the operation of restaurants and bars in many North American airports, including Toronto Pearson.
CTV News Toronto reached out to OTG for a statement but has not received a response.
"All my colleagues, they're all hurting because of indoor dining restrictions," Matthews said. "And then you walk into the airport and it feels like they're doing whatever they want."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.