Lebanese Palace withdraws challenge to hookah ban

Lebanese Palace has withdrawn its legal challenge to the city’s hookah ban, city council learned Wednesday.
City solicitor Rick O’Connor told council in a memo that the applicants — including restaurant owner Brian Mahmoud and patron Fadi Itaif — dropped the case.
They alleged that the water pipe bylaw was unconstitutional because smoking water pipes is part of Middle Eastern and Arab culture. A judge was scheduled to hear the case on Feb. 8.
The city, satisfied that the