A Marpole nightclub has lost its legal battle to have its liquor licence reinstated after it was revoked due to a history of violence, patrons with gang affiliations, and allegations of drug trafficking by its own employees.
Court Dismisses Petition
The owners of Gallery Show Lounge on Southwest Marine Drive applied to the B.C. Supreme Court to stay a decision by the general manager of the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, which cancelled the licence over repeated infractions and failure to comply with orders for improved security and surveillance. Judge Christopher J. Giaschi dismissed the petition, with reasons posted online Wednesday.
History of Trouble
A representative for the liquor branch detailed a lengthy chronology of issues associated with the club. Between its November 2021 opening and July 2024, police received 213 calls related to the venue. While many were minor, others were serious: 21 calls for assault or sexual assault, 31 for disturbance, 10 for theft, eight for weapons, and 15 for other Criminal Code violations.
A Vancouver Police Department synopsis provided to the liquor branch highlighted a homicide, a stabbing, and a shooting since the club opened. The liquor branch launched an investigation in November 2023 after police raised concerns about significant public safety risks from violence among patrons.
Drug Trafficking Allegations
In April 2024, the VPD reported that six Gallery staff members were under investigation for allegedly trafficking drugs from the venue. Charges against two accused have since been stayed. Later that month, the liquor branch general manager suspended the Gallery's licence for two weeks, citing a pattern of violent and criminal behaviour inside and outside the club that posed a serious risk of harm.
Specific Incidents
The incidents included:
- A fatal stabbing at the Gallery in May 2022
- Reports of individuals linked to organized crime and gangs frequenting the club
- Multiple reports of intoxicated patrons leaving the club in vehicles throughout 2023
- Three men with guns arrested by VPD in a stolen vehicle parked at the club's main entrance in September 2023
- A stabbing in November 2023 inside the Gallery, which VPD said was gang-related; a club representative refused to provide police with video footage
- A VPD search on March 9, 2024, on allegations that six staff were engaged in drug trafficking
- A disturbance outside the club on March 30, 2024, leading to the arrest of three individuals, one with a folding knife
- The arrest of a person at the Gallery on April 1, 2024, for causing a disturbance
When the liquor branch temporarily suspended the licence in April 2024, it ordered the club to install video surveillance and keep footage for 30 days, and required a metal detector to be in place between 9 p.m. and closing. Recorded video was to be made available to police for investigations into incidents in and around the club. The judge's ruling means the licence cancellation stands.
