KEMPTVILLE, ONT. -- A Kemptville bistro that was the site of an anti-lockdown protest last month has announced it is shutting down.
On Facebook, owner Shelley Stinson said that the lease on the South Branch Bistro was up and that they decided not to renew.
It comes weeks after 200 people attended an anti-mask and anti-lockdown rally outside the restaurant, during Ontario's current stay-at-home order.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario suspended the restaurant's liquor licence two days after the rally with plans to revoke the license. The suspension was ordered "for reasons of public interest and safety," the agency said in a notice on its website.
Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP Randy Hillier was among those who attended. Hillier was charged under the Reopening Ontario Act for attending the illegal gathering. The restaurant owner had also been charged.
People who violate the Reopening Ontario Act can be fined up to $750.
Those who host gatherings in violation of the rules can face a maximum fine of $10,000.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Michael Woods.
