Death of Clubland (aka: Is Adam Vaughan trying to kill the Club District?)

[freshcutgrass]

Yes, they're terrible tenants, except when they pay the rent on time, and then they're the best tenants.

Shouldn't blame it all on the shady club owners....there are plenty of shady landlords who only care about a short term cash infusion, and zero about their neighbourhood.

It's developers like Allied Reit that seem to be doing things that benefit the whole city, rather than the shady, fly-by-night club owners.

Funny thing though, how the one venue that was purpose built for that kind of thing has never been able to sustain itself....that giant space built as part of Festival Hall (or whatever it's called). The last incarnation was Circa I believe, but even that went belly up.

[Bloor101]

The last incarnation was Circa I believe, but even that went belly up.

You can thank Adam Vaughan for this...They waited for over a year, possibly 2 until they got their liquor license. During this time they went into huge debt having to pay rent and not earning a penny in revenue...

[Bloor101]

Four clubs at Richmond and Peter are closed / will be closing over the next couple of weeks due to upcoming demolition. Home Nightclub, Embassy, Traffik, Roosevelt Room, but on the other hand a new 3 level club opens next week at 137 Peter (This location has been empty for years). An application for liquor license at 180 Pearl street has also been made recently. So net loss may not be too bad for this round! LOL

I don't really go out to these places anymore, but still find it extremely sad to sell all these places go.

[voxpopulicosmicum]

You can thank Adam Vaughan for this...They waited for over a year, possibly 2 until they got their liquor license. During this time they went into huge debt having to pay rent and not earning a penny in revenue...

Maybe the club should have got its liquor licence in order before spending all that money. Is that such a crazy idea?

[js97]

Maybe the club should have got its liquor licence in order before spending all that money. Is that such a crazy idea?

You can't really do that as the location needs to be fire/AGC code inpsected and it can't be if it's not tenanted. But condo developments bring in more tax dollars than any single business, and also more envelopes in his pockets (although if he wasn't so personally against clubs, he'd get his share of them from the owners)

[voxpopulicosmicum]

You can't really do that as the location needs to be fire/AGC code inpsected and it can't be if it's not tenanted.

You can certainly complete all of the community consultations and obtain a conditional approval (attaching a list of operating/licence conditions) before spending too much money. I have gone through the process in the Entertainment District. Sequencing is important to avoid wasting money.

Circa, I'll admit, is a special case. The timing of that club leads one to suspect that the (initial) proprietors thought they might be able to just pay a bribe to the local powers that be, but then the 52 division drug squad actually got caught and disbanded for running an extortion and drug-running racket, so the "bribe option" was no longer what it had been.

But condo developments bring in more tax dollars than any single business, and also more envelopes in his pockets (although if he wasn't so personally against clubs, he'd get his share of them from the owners)

Are you honestly accusing Vaughan of pocketing bribes? Do you even know him? Of all the politicians I can think of, he would be in the bottom two in terms of likelihood to take bribes.

Why is it that people question my willingness to assert, based on ample evidence, that Rob Ford is a wife-beating drunk, yet at the same time Adam Vaughan can be accused, without evidence, of being on the take and no one says a peep?

[RC8]

I find it odd (but not entirely surprising) that 'conservative' people tend to defend night clubs more often than liberals do. It might mean absolutely nothing, but out of my personal friend those with more politically conservative views tend to enjoy modern 'clubbing' significantly more than those who identify themselves with the political left.

I personally can't stand nightclubs when they are concentrated in one area, and feel that a concentration of such establishments does no favours to the community. Spreading the clubs around the city makes them more responsive to their communities and ameliorates a lot of the negatives.

The area in between King and Queen has a lot of potential architecturally to become a world-class neighborhood, and an excess of monotonous clubs is an obstacle to that end.

[js97]

You can certainly complete all of the community consultations and obtain a conditional approval (attaching a list of operating/licence conditions) before spending too much money. I have gone through the process in the Entertainment District. Sequencing is important to avoid wasting money.

Circa, I'll admit, is a special case. The timing of that club leads one to suspect that the (initial) proprietors thought they might be able to just pay a bribe to the local powers that be, but then the 52 division drug squad actually got caught and disbanded for running an extortion and drug-running racket, so the "bribe option" was no longer what it had been.



Are you honestly accusing Vaughan of pocketing bribes? Do you even know him? Of all the politicians I can think of, he would be in the bottom two in terms of likelihood to take bribes.

Why is it that people question my willingness to assert, based on ample evidence, that Rob Ford is a wife-beating drunk, yet at the same time Adam Vaughan can be accused, without evidence, of being on the take and no one says a peep?

It happens. Period. Have you ever set foot in a clubs' 'back office'. Do you know who the main players are? Have you been involved in the dirt that is municipal politics?

Taking envelopes doesn't mean one completely turns a blind eye, or simply disregards the law. It can simply be to stretch the tolerance of certain infractions or help help facilitate zoning variances etc etc.


And yes, I have no doubt RB is not a goon and goof and probably abuses his wife. If you talk to the majority of people that voted for FORD, they accept and undestand very clearly his background, and don't have misconceived perceptions of his character (for the record, I did not vote Ford).

It's not a partisan thing... it happens to politicians of all stripes

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Have you ever set foot in a clubs' 'back office'. Do you know who the main players are? Have you been involved in the dirt that is municipal politics?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Many, many times in respect of all three questions. I have never witnessed a payment by a club proprietor to a public official, although I have had such payments described to me by several club proprietors.

I am very jaded and am not offended by the notion that a politician I like might have taken a bribe, but you're waaaaaaaay off base if you think Adam Vaughan has taken a bribe simply because he is a municipal politician. I would be willing to concede that many (perhaps even most) of the politicians I admire may have taken a bribe at some point in their political career, but Vaughan is truly a horse of a different colour.