Former Cornwall bar owner pays pandemic-related fine

In this March 2020, file photo, customers huddle around the bar inside Remington's Deli & Bar on Montreal Road in Cornwall, Ont. The former owner of the bar has paid a fine after being ticketed for being open when bars were ordered to close by Premier Doug Ford. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston, File)

CORNWALL – The former owner of a Cornwall bar that hosted a St. Patrick’s Day party at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year has paid his fine.

A Provincial Offences Act court official told Cornwall Newswatch two weeks ago that Chris Fourkiotis paid the $490 fine on Nov. 24, 2020.

He had been charged with failing to comply with an order made during a declared emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Remington’s Deli and Bar at 101 Montreal Road gained notoriety on March 17, 2020 when 30-50 patrons got together for an Irish celebration despite Premier Doug Ford putting an order in place that morning for all bars to close, effective immediately, to stem the spread of coronavirus.

When asked by Cornwall Newswatch at the time, Ford called the move “careless and reckless.”

Remington’s has since closed and the location reopened under a new name and ownership.