Cloud Nine Café, formerly of 1530 The Danforth, might be gone but area residents remain mystified as to why the notorious establishment was allowed to stay open as long as it did.

Three people were killed either inside or close by in the past three years, beginning in 2013 when a Markham firefighter was stabbed to death while playing cards. (His killer was found not criminally responsible.)

Last year, after another man was slain outside, the community learned the Rotana Café, the venue’s previous name, was operating without a business licence.

The municipal licensing and standards division requested a hearing before the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, a little known entity made up of seven citizen members appointed by council for four-year terms.

On September 3, 2015, three of its members held a hearing at the East York Civic Centre.

What was said? Who was there? Was the panel aware of the murders? Community concerns? And who were the citizen members present?

Scrum is unable to say.

The summary of the decision posted online reveals little. (Decisions of the tribunal, however, may be requested by licensees or their lawyers.)

What Scrum can tell you is the tribunal issued Rotana Inc., a three-year probationary licence, conditional on the owner ensuring patrons behaved themselves. The managing director of Rotana Inc., Hussein Souddo, was also told to provide an updated extract of his criminal record.

According to a Toronto Licensing Tribunal information brochure, “hearings are open to the public and the tribunal reaches its decisions without political or business interference.”

However, the TLT’s web site says “all tribunal hearings are open to the public unless the chair declares a meeting closed.”

Councillors Paula Fletcher (Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth) and Mary Fragedakis, (Ward 29, Toronto-Danforth) say the community was shut out at the licensing hearing.

The councillors wrote to MLS director Tracey Cook asking for a new hearing for the renamed Cloud Nine Café.

“We do not understand how numerous statements and emails provided by the community members to Municipal Licensing & Standards and the local police divisions did not form part of the information shared at the pre-hearing tribunal meeting or the tribunal itself.”

Fast forward to April when Abdullah Farah, 20, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting

Last week, MLS suspended Rotana’s licence. A child care centre is set to occupy the space.

But residents and neighbourhood businesses fear they haven’t heard the last of Rotana and want the licence permanently revoked.

And residents would still like some answers.

“There’s got to be some reason why they issued a licence to this establishment where there had been two murders,” local resident Hugh Johnston told Scrum. “It was a complete failure of governance.”

Last month, Cook took time from the taxi/Uber file to write to Fletcher and Fragedakis.

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MLS has asked the TLT for a rush hearing on the status of Rotana’s licence and whether it should be suspended or revoked.

If their constituents want to qualify for standing at any future hearing to determine if Rotana can retain its licence, “that will be for the TLT to determine.”

In the meantime, Fletcher and Fragedakis want city council to direct MLS, the city manager and city solicitor to explore “opportunities for broader direct community input in Toronto Licensing Tribunal matters.” They'll be making that request at a meeting that starts tomorrow.