Maze ran afoul of rules by being built in the shape of the dispensary's logo

Toronto’s most infamous illegal dispensary is in trouble again.

A constant thorn in the side of law enforcement for its refusal to stay shut down, CAFÉ is generating fresh attention for spelling its name out in giant letters with hay near its 15 Fort York location.

The bales of hay were arranged to form a maze that appears to be built as a part of the CityPlace Kids Halloween Crawl. Organizers of the crawl did not respond to requests for comment, but police were definitely not impressed.

Outdoor shop or just an Ad easily announced to tens of thousands of people living around Cityplace? — Dan Goulet 🏳️‍🌈 🍞🥖🥐🥨 (@DabGooLay) October 30, 2019

“The City of Toronto became aware of this issue this morning and gave the permit holder until 2 p.m. today to remove or reconfigure the maze, or City staff would do it for them,” Brad Ross, chief communications officer with the City of Toronto, told CityNews. The city removed the maze shortly thereafter.

“Federal law prohibits sponsorship by cannabis-related companies,” Ross said. “The city’s actions are unrelated to enforcement and legal proceedings related to CAFÉ.”

But Aaron Burke, a spokesperson for CAFÉ, denied that the maze failed to meet regulations and said the response was political. “CAFE has been an unwavering supporter of community events like the annual Halloween Corn maze we began last year, the Christmas Drive, Easter Egg Hunt, Movie Night, Turkey Give-Away, Tournament of the Tots and many others.

“Politics should not be interfering with this kind of goodwill,” he said. “The destruction of the maze was clearly an illegal act, based on emotion.”

Unable to keep the chain of stores closed, police resorted to dropping 2,000 kilogram blocks outside four CAFE shops throughout the city over the summer, blocking the entrance to stores. The move increased the animosity between the owners and law enforcement but clearly did not end the struggle.

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis? Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.