A recent vendor event held by a local organization was shut down due to a lack of business license, says a representative of the Town of Fort Frances.
Scheduled for Friday, December 15, 2023, as part of activities surrounding a hockey game against the visiting Wisconsin Lumberjacks, a vendor event planned by the Fort Frances Lakers and hosted at the Memorial Sports Centre the same night was shut down by Town’s by-law officials early in the night. Speaking on the incident, the Town’s Recreation and Culture Manager Nathan Young said the shutdown by town by-law officers was the result of the Fort Frances Lakers organization failing to secure a business license for the event.
“I was approached November 23 by a representative of the Lakers organization that wanted to meet to go through the logistics and requirements needed to run a market as a part of one of the Lakers games,” Young said.
“So at that meeting, it was an in-person meeting, we had walked through the event space and talked about where we could set up and what supports the Town could give in terms of tables and such and talked about the requirement for business licensing for the market and that they would need to contact the bylaw office to inquire about the process to obtain that business license.”
On the Town of Fort Frances website, the Administration & Finance page notes that business licenses are “required to operate a business in the Town of Fort Frances, whether it be a home occupation, retail store front or booth at a special event” and that said license helps ensure “the safety of our citizens” as well as the business’ customers. The page also states the license serves as proof that the business complies with laws and regulations within the Town.
According to Young, an email was sent following the meeting to summarize what was discussed with the representative in anticipation of the event being held on December 15.
“On December 14, the Lakers representative came into the Civic Centre to do an initial inquiry about receiving a business license, at which point the administration team let them know that 24 hours is not enough time to establish a business license and that unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to process a business license for the event in such short turnaround,” Young continued.
“We did talk with the organizer and let them know that if they could get their paperwork in by the end of the day on Thursday [December 14] that we could look into a potential of rushing it through and seeing what we could do in order to make as much of a success of the event as possible. So that was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon on the 14th. We did not receive any paperwork application form submitted, so we were unable to move forward with trying to rush that business license process.”
Young then said that on the night of December 15 the vendor event went ahead without having acquired the necessary business license, which led to the Town’s bylaw officers shutting the event down.
Young noted there are mechanisms in place within the Town’s policies to allow for vendor events at the Memorial Sports Centre like the one the Lakers organization had planned. A vendor who already had a business license with the Town could contact the Town and ask for an extension to cover their attendance and conducting business at the Memorial Sports Centre, and for those without a pre-existing business license, the Lakers organization itself could apply for a business license for the market on their behalf.
“That business license requirement is there to make sure that we’ve gone through all the checks and balances to make sure that business is safe to operate for the public,” Young said.
“Let’s give an example that if we had someone that was selling baked goods that was not prepared in a commercial kitchen or did not meet the Health Unit’s requirements for selling of that food, and let’s say that someone consuming that food had contracted food poisoning from that, and then that goes into an insurance claim and we find out that that business did not meet the requirements of the Health Unit and did not have liability insurance, because it’s on town land that falls under the Town’s insurance. So it’s taking those steps to ensure that those liabilities can be met by those that are operating in their businesses in the different areas within their town.”
Fees for business licenses vary depending on the type of business, as outlined in the Town’s By-Law No. 57/05 (Being a by-law to provide for the licensing and regulation of various businesses) and By-Law No. 68/22 (2023 Schedule of Fees) and the Town notes on its site that the collection of those fees are intended to cover the costs of related enforcement and inspection programs without placing the burden for those services on the taxpayer.
The Fort Frances Times reached out to the Fort Frances Lakers for comment on Friday’s happenings, and received the following statement from the Lakers Board of Directors:
“The Fort Frances Lakers Board of Directors and volunteers are excited about the positive direction the team is headed and are always looking for new ways to move the team forward. Our organization is committed to growing hockey in our community, engaging and inspiring youth, and expanding relationships with fans, community partners, and local businesses,” the statement read.
“In the spirit of moving forward productively, we are choosing not to provide any further comment to the public.”
