KITCHENER -- St. Louis Bar and Grill has pleaded guilty to two charges under the Ontario Liquor Licence Act in connection to a fatal crash in 2019.
On Wednesday, the bar pleaded guilty to permitting drunkenness on licensed premises and selling liquor to an intoxicated person.
The Crown is asking for a $50,000 fine and the defence has asked for a fine between $10,000 and $25,000. The maximum fine under the act is $250,000.
Court heard victim impact statements on Wednesday. The judge has reserved his sentence until Oct. 7.
The bar, two of its owners and two staff members were charged in February 2020. The charges stemmed from a fatal crash in November 2019 that killed 67-year-old Kenneth Scott.
He was driving home from getting his winter tires on when another driver crossed the centre line on Townline Road and collided with his vehicle head-on.
Jason Fach pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death in December 2019. An agreed statement of facts said he had four 20 oz. beers in a little more than an hour at the restaurant on the night of the crash. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
"St. Louis Bar was totally wrong in what they did and we don't want to see this happen again," said John Leclair, a friend of Scott. "They had no choice but to plead guilty today, everything they did was wrong in the books."
Leclair said he wants to see the maximum fine imposed on the bar.
"I'm disappointed that the fines are so low and I think a huge fine would put a precedent against bars not to do this anymore," he said. "A year and ten months later, we are all still suffering."
CTV News has reached out to St. Louis for a statement but has not yet received a reply.
