When someone applies for a new liquor sales licence or wishes to add a licensed area (such as a patio) to an existing liquor licence, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will place an advertisement in a local newspaper on behalf of the applicant and provide the applicant with a placard to post at the premises.

This public notice offers residents in the municipality an opportunity to respond to the application and to voice any concerns or objections to the application within the time period set as advertised and posted on the placard.

If you have concerns about a proposed licensed establishment or an expansion of an existing licensed establishment in your community, please read:

Where there have been objections filed with the AGCO, a public meeting may be arranged with a Deputy Registrar of the AGCO, the licence applicant and the objectors. The meeting will be held by telephone conference. The purpose of the meeting is to identify the concerns of the residents and see if the concerns can be resolved. The Deputy Registrar can approve the issuance of the licence if the issues can be resolved.

If the issues cannot be resolved at the public meeting then the Deputy Registrar will send the matter to a public interest hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT). For information about public interest hearings, please contact LAT at (416) 314-4260 or 1-800-255-2214 (toll free).