Peter Gatien (AP Photo)

Gatien’s 55,000-square-foot Toronto entertainment venue still has other obstacles to clear for its planned September 7 grand opening, however, as Gatien has said the ordeal raised by the Commission cost him two or three weeks of preparation time.

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Circa was initially granted a liquor license by the AGCO in July, despite objections from the police, a local city councilor and a residents group. The AGCO filed in the appeal in early August, arguing the board had made errors in law when it considered the evidence before it.

“In my mind, this was a very aggressive, if not malicious motion,” Gatien told the Globe and Mail.

Opposition to Circa focused on whether the entertainment district could handle a club that can accommodate approximately 3,000 patrons, and whether Gatien, who once dominated the New York nightclub scene before a tax evasion charge arose after a murder and drug scandal involving his venues, should be allowed to run a club in Toronto.

Gatien was awarded $10,000 to cover legal fees associated with the appeal. --by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers