Burlington vape shop bars unaccompanied women after owner charged with sexual assault

The sex-based policy appeared after the owner of Vape on Plains was charged with sexually assaulting a woman who police say was alone with him at a store location.

Scarlett Grace
  |   September 28, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   Be the first to comment

A Burlington vape shop barred unaccompanied women from entering the store after its owner was charged with sexually assaulting a woman at one of his store locations.

A notice posted at one of the Vape on Plains locations told customers that, “due to an ongoing situation,” female customers who arrived alone could not be served inside.

Instead, women were instructed to knock on a window where a catalogue of prices and flavours had been provided. Male customers were still permitted inside.

The policy followed the September 8 arrest of 64-year-old Burlington resident Mouhamad “Frank” Sabra, owner of Vape on Plains and Vape on Plains II.

Halton Regional Police allege an adult woman was sexually assaulted after attending the Vape on Plains II location on Plains Road East while she was alone in the store with Sabra.

Sabra was charged with sexual assault and failing to comply with a probation order. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Police also released Sabra’s photograph, saying investigators believe there may be additional victims and asking anyone with information or a similar experience at either store to come forward.

The Plains Road West business had previously run afoul of provincial vaping regulations.

Halton Public Health records show that in March 2023, the business, then listed as “Vape On Plains And Gift Garage,” was convicted of selling a vapour product to someone under 19 and received a $400 set fine.

In May 2026, it was convicted again, this time for offering to sell an improperly packaged vapour product, and fined $365.

Then came a very different controversy. Following the allegation against the owner, it was female customers who found themselves on the other side of the door.

Section 1 of Ontario’s Human Rights Code guarantees equal treatment with respect to services, goods and facilities without discrimination because of sex, raising questions about the legality of treating customers differently based on whether they are male or female.

The notice quickly went viral, with some social media users characterizing the policy as “Sharia law” and even referring to the country as the “Islamic Republic of Canada.”

A subsequent video posted online showed the notice had been removed.

Police have not disclosed the date of the alleged assault or publicly confirmed whether additional alleged victims have since come forward. Their investigation remains ongoing.

Scarlett Grace

Anti-Discrimination Reporter

Scarlett Grace is a Canadian journalist and musician from Peterborough, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Trent University and has spent over a decade performing live and releasing original music.

In 2022, her involvement in Canada’s freedom movement marked a turning point in her career and public voice. She later joined Rebel News, where she works as an anti-discrimination journalist, reporting extensively on the rise of antisemitism in Canada and the Iranian uprising.

https://twitter.com/ScarlettGrace92

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