The Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted a temporary injunction allowing stronger enforcement of city bylaws at Ridgeway Plaza, at Ridgeway Drive and Eglinton Avenue W. The injunction targeted planned large gatherings for Pakistan Independence Day (Aug. 13–14) and Afghanistan Independence Day (Aug. 19) and followed numerous complaints about the plaza. Business owners report the injunction was executed with minimal notice and has sharply reduced sales on affected days. Nawab's Legendary BBQ reported sales down nearly 40 percent compared with the same week last year. Owners say patrons were unaware of new rules and that preparations for busy cultural gatherings were disrupted.
Muneer Ahmed, owner of Nawab's Legendary BBQ, which is open 24 hours a day, said sales are down nearly 40 per cent last week compared to the same week last year. Ahmed said he didn't find out about the injunction until Aug. 12, a day before it took effect. He said patrons of the plaza were also not aware of the injunction and how the rules had changed.
'It was shocking. It was confusing. We were not given a heads up. We were not given enough time to prepare,' Ahmed said. 'It's busier than New Year's Eve, these two dates, and we had all prepped accordingly. We scheduled our staff accordingly and it was a very sudden information. Up until the 13th, we didn't know what's happening, what's going to happen,' he said.
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