A good idea from a bad premier

Ford’s alcohol reforms may be a political distraction, but they do make sense

Ontario politics is so dominated by issues related to alcohol, I can’t help but feel a little tipsy after I read the news in the morning.

It doesn’t help that nearly every online article about Premier Doug Ford’s boozy budget is accompanied by a photo of a flight of ales or a group of friends clinking glasses.

Historians of the future will characterize Ford’s premiership as the golden age of stock beer photography.

Or more likely: the golden age of distracting the public from cuts to fundamental institutions by introducing a load of legislation designed to make getting sauced cheaper and easier.

The Progressive Conservatives announced several liquor-related proposals this month, among them the legalization of tailgating (the American-inspired practice of grilling meat and drinking beers outside a sports stadium), plans to permit provincial casinos to advertise free drinks for gamblers, legislation that will pave the way for municipalities to relax laws around consuming alcohol in public parks and, perhaps the most controversial proposal of them all, legislation that will enable licensed establishments in Ontario to serve booze as early as 9 a.m., all week long.

Who will take advantage of that last one? Inevitably alcoholics, college kids on benders and devoted soccer fans yearning to take in an early morning overseas game in real time — and enjoy a pint while they’re at it. Also, well-heeled groups of brunching women who may rejoice that God in the form of Ford has answered their prayers: Finally they can order a round of mimosas before 11. Hallelujah.

For real, though, hallelujah. I strongly dislike Ford and pretty much everything he’s done, both in and out of office, but I’m simply not hyperpartisan enough to argue that his booze proposals are inherently bad ideas. They’re not. Ford is a crappy leader — the kind who values populist gobbledygook over research, and whose education minister believes neglect promotes resilience — but even crappy leaders have decent ideas sometimes. Allowing Ontarians to enjoy a glass of wine in a park or outside a Jays game is a decent idea. Adults shouldn’t be ticketed for drinking responsibly outdoors, especially not in a province where a nice day is cause for celebration in and of itself.

Of course, some health professionals will sound the alarm about looser liquor laws damaging our livers and our society. There is some truth to this: according to a recent study, “Deregulation of alcohol sales in Ontario in 2015 was associated with increased emergency department visits attributable to alcohol.” It shouldn’t follow, however, that just because some people can’t enjoy booze responsibly that those who can must be deprived of the civilized experience of sharing a bottle of wine in a public park. Or, if it suits them better, a case of Sleeman Honey Brown behind their car outside the Scotiabank Arena. Different strokes and whatnot.

Again, this is not an endorsement

The reaction to Ford’s booze proposals by progressive pundits and health professionals is annoyingly paternalistic and overblown. He is doing so much wrong in so many other areas — why fixate on the one area where he’s not actually half bad?

of Ford the premier. I think his penchant for alcohol-bent policy is insulting in the face of everything else he’s proposed (slashes to health care and education). The right to have a glass of wine in the park isn’t, in my books, worth outdated sex-ed, the loss of teachers’ jobs or weakened supports for people with autism and their families. The government’s focus on alcohol is obviously a distraction from these other, vastly more important issues.

But the reaction to Ford’s booze proposals by progressive pundits and health professionals is annoyingly paternalistic and overblown. He is doing so much wrong in so many other areas — why fixate on the one area where he’s not actually half bad?

Let’s not allow our well-founded dislike of the Ford administration to cloud our judgment to the point where we refuse to acknowledge a common-sense proposal when we see one. OK, I admit it: pub drinking at 9 a.m. may be overkill. But drinking in the park is just right. Ironic, isn’t it, that at least where alcohol is concerned, Ontario may become a more cosmopolitan province under the likes of Doug Ford.

Unfortunately, in every other respect, it’s screwed.