The city has stripped a north Edmonton shisha bar of its licence “in the interest of public and patron safety.”
The Public Safety Compliance Team (PSCT) recommended cancelling Nyala Lounge’s business licence, citing “repeated violations to safety and security conditions.”
The lounge, located at 10875 98 Street, was charged with overcrowding on March 5, 2017. It pleaded guilty on July 17, 2018 and was fined $3,000. Nyala Lounge’s owner, Mulugeta Tesfay, was also fined $2,000.
Tesfay has 14 days to appeal the decision.
‘I’ve been targeted’
Tesfay claimed he’s being racially profiled by the city and Edmonton Police Service. He and his clientele are black.
“They have been trying almost three years actually,” said Tesfay, who bought the bar 10 years ago.
“They’re trying different things; that this is a criminal hub, that there are a lot of shootings outside.”
Nyala Lounge has received nearly 30 tickets — 17 of which still need to be dealt with in court. He has been fined $24,000 since June for licence condition violations.
“Out of the 22 violent incidents that occurred, in or outside the venue, 13 involved weapons, mainly firearms,” Justin Lallemand, a support manager for PSCT, said. “After meetings, consultations and recommendations, Nyala Lounge remained non-complaint and unwilling to cooperate.”
Tesfay, who served in the military for 20 years, is ready to move on.
“I’m not fighting for a licence anymore. They can shut it down.”
Tesfay owns the building and has put it up for sale.
With files from Nahreman Issa
