Sudbury bar taking steps to increase safety after report of spiked drink

A downtown Sudbury bar says it is taking steps to increase the safety of its patrons after a woman said her drink was spiked on the weekend.

Megan Matchem is one of the owners of Boulevard Nightclub at the corner of Durham Street and Larch Street, formerly known as SRO.

Matchem told CTV News in an email the club reopened under new ownership in March.

Over the weekend, a woman reported that her drink was spiked by two unknown females who approached her and her friend on the dance floor.

"As my friend and I were dancing, two girls came onto the dance floor as well. As a (woman), I don’t generally think of other women as a threat, so I put my drink down on the ledge by the window, within arms reach (silly I know) and proceeded to dance," she said in a social media post.

"One of the two women came up to my friend and I and started to chat with us. I believe this was the distraction mechanism to get me to turn my back while the other woman drugged my drink. When the girl went back to her friend, I grabbed my drink and had two sips of it. Within a couple minutes, I couldn’t stop sneezing, my nose started to run like crazy and my eyes were crying."

She also detailed her eyes and throat started swelling and her hand/arm started to feel numb.

In the post, she said her friend brought her to the hospital where she was told she was having an allergic reaction to suspected date rape drugs.

Matchem said none of the staff were made aware of the situation Saturday night and the club does not currently have cameras.

Sudbury police are investigating the incident and the woman reached out to the club through social media to see if it had any information to help, she said.

Matchem said in addition to the bartenders, every night, two of the three club owners are at the establishment and bouncers are stationed at the entrance as well as roaming the bar.

Anyone who feels uncomfortable at any time or sees anything suspicious is advised to let one of the staff members know right away.

"Every issue will be dealt with in a serious manner and not dismissed," she said.

Drink lids have been ordered, the bar owner said, and the club is hoping to receive them by the upcoming weekend.

"We have been in contact with board members of #knowhumantrafficking of Ontario, we are working on an event to bring awareness to Sudbury in hopes people will take the time to educate themselves and take this seriously. They have provided us with tools to be able to train our staff so they can also spot it in the future," Matchem said.

Spiking someone's drink is illegal and is considered a "crime against persons," and can be reported to police. 

The nighclub posted these safety tips on its Facebook page on Monday:

Tips for a safe night out at the club (The Nightclub)More safety tips for a night out at the club (The Nightclub)