First, it was the Brass Rail Tavern near Yonge and Bloor. Now we're learning about cases of COVID-19 at a second Toronto strip club.
Toronto public health says six employees and one patron at Club Paradise have tested positive.
It's lead some to ask whether strip clubs really need to be open at a time like this.
It turns out, according to one expert, that the city of Toronto does have the power to shut them down.
Municipal lawyer John Mascarin is a partner at Aird Berlis. He says strip clubs need a business licence to operate in Toronto and that the city has the power to pull that licence, "if the business poses an immediate danger to the health or safety of any person."
Still, he says the city could have a fight on its hands. The business owners could appeal any suspensions to the licensing committee or ask the court to step in.
Mascarin says the province also has some power in this situation because it controls the liquor licences.
"An indirect way of stopping this is to have the province step in on the liquor licence front," he explains.
Mayor John Tory acknowledged that city has the power to suspend the licence of individual establishments but added, "it is much more difficult and uncertain as to whether we can make blanket orders that say all establisments of a certain kind should be closed."
He says he'll be discussing the issue with provincial officials today.