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Hamilton’s Budget Inn denied business license renewal over ‘safety concerns’

Hamilton motel Budget Inn has been denied a renewal of its business license by the city based on “concerns for public safety and for not operating with honesty and integrity.”

The news was shared this past Friday by Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann via social media, where she said that the Budget Inn’s license to operate has been revoked “effective immediately.”

The infamous motel, located in central-east Hamilton, has long been the subject of public scrutiny and had a reputation amongst residents for being a hotspot of suspicious activity.

In fact, just this past April, three individuals were arrested and charged at the Budget Inn for possession of weapons and drug-related offences. There have also been reports of activities such as violence and human trafficking that have allegedly taken place on site.

The motel was also notably one of the sites of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 27 year-old Holly Ellsworth-Clark, who has been missing since she left her Sanford Avenue residence in distress back in January.

After numerous tips from locals claiming they saw someone who looked like Ellsworth-Clark at the motel in a possible human trafficking situation, members of her family and others in the search party staked out the motel and argued with Hamilton Police, who initially said they were unable to search the motel without a warrant for each individual suite.

When the police did eventually conduct a thorough search of the Budget Inn, they found no evidence of Ellsworth-Clark’s alleged presence. While there, however, Ellsworth-Clark’s family gained some insight into the suspicious activities taking place within the motel.

“As the team lead for the search party looking for [Holly Clark], thank you,” said Ellsworth-Clark’s search leader Elle McFearsin in a response to Councillor Nann’s post on Facebook. “We are thrilled that the city has not only seen and heard what has been going on there, but has taken action.”

Hamilton Police have received almost 800 calls related to the Budget Inn since 2015, with 216 of those reports occurring in 2019 alone.

The Budget Inn has been given thirty days since the notice to appeal the city’s decision, if they choose.

Lead image courtesy of Google Maps

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