Calgary Herald

Earlier liquor serving times draw fire

Police to watch serving hours ‘very closely’

- EVA FERGUSON AND CLARA HO WITH FILES FROM JAMES WOOD, CALGARY HERALD EFERGUSON@CALGARYHER­ALD.COM

Questions are being raised around the wisdom of allowing liquor to be served as early as 7 a.m. on Parade Day Friday and 8 a.m. for the duration of the Calgary Stampede.

The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission announced its decision Thursday, allowing restaurant­s, bars and lounges to start selling alcohol earlier in an effort to measure the success of extending serving hours as part of an upcoming provincial review of Alberta’s liquor legislatio­n.

But Coun. Druh Farrell, who has experience­d problems with bars serving liquor past the allowable times in her inner city ward, has questioned the move.

“There’s a balance between having a great time during Stampede and going overboard.

“We’re starting to see the social disorder move into communitie­s, and it can be quite disruptive.”

Police Chief Ri c k Hanson stressed police presence will be high during Stampede, but police will be watching the new serving hours “very closely.”

He also questioned why anyone would want to drink as early as 7 or 8 a.m., and reminded Calgarians and bar owners about the dangers of drinking and driving.

“I think the idea of having a beer at 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock or 8 o’clock in the morning is kind of reprehensi­ble. Personally, I don’t see what the draw is,” said Hanson.

“I think the vast majority of citizens are very responsibl­e. What is very frustratin­g is the numbers that still don’t understand that impaired driving is not a joke, that it kills people. I don’t think there’s enough education around a lot of businesses that have Stampede breakfasts and functions where they may not realize that if they’re serving alcohol, they’re responsibl­e for every person that’s there. This is a good opportunit­y to get that message across.”

I think the idea of having a beer at 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock or 8 o’clock in the morning is kind of reprehensi­ble. Personally, I don’t see what the draw is POLICE CHIEF RICK HANSON

Officials with the AGLC said they continue to raise awareness around responsibl­e drinking through a number of campaigns, including low-risk guidelines for men and women as well as special recommenda­tions for women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant.

Bill Robinson, CEO for AGLC, said when all bars were able to open at 5 a.m. in February for the Olympic gold medal men’s hockey game, no serious problems were reported.

“People were well behaved throughout Alberta,” he said.

“Safety-wise, we didn’t get any negative feedback in terms of any large problems.”

Robinson said the AGLC will keep in close contact with police and city officials about the impact of extended hours during Stampede as they prepare to review Alberta liquor laws over the next year.

The pilot project “will allow us to get a better sense of both the industry as well as the wider community’s appetite for potential changes to liquor laws we plan to look at further down the road,” he said.

Mark von Schellwitz, Restaurant Canada’s vice-president for Western Canada, lauded the move.

“It absolutely makes sense to give these extended service hours a try during a big event like the Stampede, so that all of us know what works and what doesn’t when we’re looking at expanding business opportunit­ies for bars and restaurant­s.”

But Farrell asked whether the AGLC should be focusing on more important issues, such as complaints around bars that aren’t complying with existing regulation­s.

“Should this really be the priority for the AGLC?” she asked, saying her communitie­s have had trouble getting the AGLC to respond to complaints about problem bars in her northwest inner-city ward.

“As more and more people move into urban centres there just seems to be more conflict between Stampede events and neighbourh­oods.”

Premier Dave Hancock supported the AGLC decision to extend service hours during Stampede, saying he was sure they’ve done their homework in consulting with police and vendors to ensure standards are adhered to.

“I’m certain the AGLC has looked at what’s happened in the past and is confident after speaking with police that this is manageable.

“Calgary Stampede is an exciting time ... it’s a special world fair, a world attraction and, as they did for the hockey game, it’s an opportunit­y for the AGLC to see what might happen and we expect citizens will act responsibl­y.”

 ?? Calgary Herald/Files ?? Liquor can be legally be served as early as 7 a.m. on Parade Day Friday, and 8 a.m. for the duration of the Calgary Stampede.
Calgary Herald/Files Liquor can be legally be served as early as 7 a.m. on Parade Day Friday, and 8 a.m. for the duration of the Calgary Stampede.

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