Yellowknife (Dec 24/03) - The Royal Canadian Legion and Jose Locos have each been slapped with $1,000 tickets for violating the city's no-smoking bylaw.

The Legion was ticketed on Dec. 18, following a three-week investigation by municipal enforcement officers.

Jose Locos owner Bob Ross smokes a cigarette in his bar before opening on Tuesday. Jose Locos received a $1,000 ticket from municipal enforcement for allowing smoking on the premises last month. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

Doug Gillard, who manages the municipal enforcement division, said officers received a complaint from a Legion patron on Nov. 28, though he could not comment on the specifics of the case.

The Legion, who have been outspoken critics of the bylaw, declined to comment on the ticket.

"That don't mean dick," said a man who answered the phone.

Jose Locos was ticketed on Nov. 27 after a municipal enforcement officer caught employees smoking in the 50th Avenue bar.

But Jose Locos owner Bob Ross, who campaigned for city council on an anti-ban platform, plans to contest the ticket.

Ross maintains his bar was closed and employees were cleaning up for the night when the ticket was issued.

"It was Thursday night at around 11:30 p.m.," said Ross.

"The lights were off and we hadn't had a customer in about an hour."

The front door was still open, said Ross, but only because the city's fire code says one entrance must always be accessible -- and the bar's back door was locked.

"If a customer had come in, we would have asked them to leave," he said.

Ross admits that two patrons had lit cigarettes after coming in from outside at around 10:30 p.m.

He said someone must have complained, which led to employees being caught red-handed an hour later.

"I know who made the call," said Ross of the anonymous complainant.

"At least have the balls to stick around if you make a complaint."

Both the establishments will make an appearance in court next month.

The maximum fine for a first offence is $1,000.

If the cases make it to court, they will be first to do so in the four-month history of the bylaw.