On Friday July 19, 2013, liquor licensees from the London and surrounding area gathered at the London Club for the Lerners LLP Liquor Licensing Compliance Conference. The half day event highlighted the various regulatory and administrative challenges that owner/operators of licensed establishments encounter in the day-to-day operation of their businesses. Licensee's benefited from the expertise of four speakers who addressed various aspects of regulatory and licencing environment in Ontario. Michael Lerner, Partner at Lerners LLP, addressed the steps that a licensee can take to avoid a license infraction, the defence of due diligence and some practical suggestions on how a licensee can avoid a sanction or charge under the Liquor License Act. Ken Geddes, retired AGCO licence inspector and licencing consultant, addressed local inspections. Mr. Geddes provided his insight and experience on how a licensee can approach a licence inspection and offered do's and don'ts to licensees during inspections. John Brennan, Associate at Lerners LLP, discussed the procedures that are associated with a regulatory or provincial offence under the Liquor License Act. Carolyn Brandow, Partner at Lerners LLP and member of the Appellate Law Group at Lerners, explained the focus and process of appeals from decisions of the License Appeal Tribunal to licensees.
The event pulled together the expertise of local lawyers and enforcement officers experienced in the licencing and regulatory offence fields and provided helpful suggestions as to how business owners can work to ensure compliance. Given the level of interest in this initial conference, Lerners is planning a further program in the next year. A notice of the next event will be posted on this website.
Lerners LLP offers expertise to licensees in all aspects of the liquor licence process. We are committed to helping our clients grow and protect their businesses. Let us think about the law while you focus on your business. If you have a liquor license related question or wish to speak to one of our lawyers specialized in the field, please do not hesitate to contact our offices.
