Councillor pulls Wrongbar's extended license for Pride


The Big Primpin' Pride party and Vazaleen benefit will be a little shorter this year.

Parkdale Councillor Gordon Perks has allegedly blocked Wrongbar's extended last-call permit for Pride Week, meaning the popular events will end at regular hours.

Seems a little sketchy, since Wrongbar has an extended license right now for NXNE. However, according to NOW Magazine, Perks did try to block the permit for NXNE, but was unsuccessful.

Some people still aren't buying it. "It seems to clearly be coming from a political perspective, and not a very good one," Big Primpin's Jeremy Laing told NOW. "There's a huge gay constituency who live in Parkdale and throw events here, and to pick and choose who gets to have an extended license doesn't seem equitable."

Recently, Wrongbar has been feuding with neighbours who oppose its expansion, and Perks has aligned with the group of residents. "The issue is we don't think they should be granted the expansion because they have repeatedly violated their zoning permission, which is to be a restaurant," he said. "We have actually ticketed them with not operating as a restaurant but as a nightclub."

But to some, such as NOW columnist Benjamin Boles, the importance of Vazaleen and Big Primpin' is being overlooked. "It seems likely," Boles writes, "that Perks just automatically went against the application without considering (or being aware) of how important events like Big Primpin' and Vazaleen are to the queer Queen West community, or the role of Wrongbar in supporting that community."


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