VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A Persian takeout owner in Vancouver, Canada, is up against condominium owners who want to shut down the facility, saying the food smell is offensive.
The condo owners have convinced some city leaders to change the bylaws so that businesses that offend some people's sense of smell can be fined up to $10,000.
Ken Farquharson says he and other residents don't appreciate the smells coming from the home of their new neighbor downstairs, who owns the takeout Arian Restaurant, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
"The odor starts early when the cooking starts and it continues until well late at night," he said. "People have difficulty sleeping because of odor and noise."
Arian owner Ali Bakhtiari said the smell issue is just the latest in a list of complaints from condo owners that range from how he disposes of garbage to how much noise his customers generate.
Speaking to a newspaper recently, he called the complaints "unjust and racist."
Bakhtiari said he'll fight the new laws, vowing: "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here."
