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
Air quality alerts issued as wildfire smoke spreads east from Western Canada
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
LIVE UPDATES Michael Cohen will face a bruising cross-examination by Trump's lawyers at the hush money trial
Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returns to the witness stand Tuesday for a bruising round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers.
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.
Risks of handcuffing someone facedown long known; people die when police training fails to keep up
For decades, police across the United States have been warned that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long.
A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
Sunchips, Munchies recalled by Frito Lay Canada for possible salmonella contamination
Frito Lay Canada is recalling two of its most popular snacks due to a possible risk of salmonella contamination.