A 4 a.m. last call at bars should be all year round, not just for special events
Last call may be the most disappointing phrase in the English language not only because it implies that in a few minutes time, a drinking establishment will become a mere establishment. But it also implies that the house lights will come on, giving inebriated bar patrons a good look at the people around them, or worse, at themselves. Alas, this is the moment when everyone needs a drink most but can’t legally get one. In Toronto, this moment is especially disheartening because it comes far too soon. Last call in Canada’s biggest city is 2 a.m., a full hour earlier than last call in Montreal and a full two hours earlier than last call in New York City.
Of course there is a well-known exception to Toronto’s 2 a.m. rule. Bars may extend their last calls during special events such as TIFF, LGBTQ Pride and, currently, Indie Week, a film, music and beer festival that runs from Nov. 7-12. This week, a handful of bars will serve booze until 4 a.m. in honour of the festival.
This is good news for a city yearning to be deemed “world class,” but it still spurs the question: Why should last call be extended only during these special events?
Obviously the city doesn’t self-destruct when TIFF or Indie Week revellers party all night long, so why not just extend last call all year round?
A common answer to this question, from politicians and concerned residents alike, is simply “noise.” An extended last call, the argument goes, may mean that the streets will be louder later than before and the sleep of ordinary, sensible Torontonians will suffer as a result. This was a major concern for the Yorkville Residents Anti-Noise Coalition, some of whom told the CBC last year that a later last call would be appropriate only if it didn’t disrupt residents’ sleep. This is a totally valid concern, and one I share especially now that I’ve
Obviously the city doesn’t self-destruct when TIFF or Indie Week revellers party all night long, so why not just extend last call all year round?
retired from late-night partying and moved on to binging British detective shows in bed on my laptop on a Saturday night.
But as a once avid partier, I believe I have an insight into the world of nightlife that the average anti-noise coalition member may not. And my 10-year experience on the town has led me to support extended last calls not because I love loud noise at an ungodly hour, but precisely because I’ve come to hate it. And I think the best antidote to it, ironically, is an extended last call. Here’s the thing: people who like to party, or “rage” as the bros say, typically like to after party.
And if they can’t legally drink at a bar past 2 a.m., they will a) move their party to an unregulated after hours spot (some of these are located off the beaten path, in residential neighbourhoods). Or b) they will go home and bring their friends with them.
In other words, they will leave a licensed establishment in a busy entertainment district and continue to “rage” in what is most likely a residential neighbourhood.
I experienced this phenomenon just last week, when I went to a Halloween party at a bar on a major downtown street. The bar let out shortly after last call and what do you know, roughly 30 people went back to a friend’s house for an after party on a quiet tree-lined street — a party that did not let out until well after 4.
Needless to say, this friend’s neighbours didn’t sleep very well that night.
But I suspect they would have slept like babies if our city permitted bars to serve liquor until 4 a.m. — in which case my degenerate friends could have left one bar in search of another, rather than head home to wake up an entire street.
If you’re a Torontonian who’d like to be well rested in the morning, you might want to consider supporting an extended last call all year round at bars on major streets.
Such a policy wouldn’t just be a boon for our city’s economy and international reputation, it would, I suspect, lead to a significant reduction in residential area noise complaints to police and condominium boards.
Because in a city that never sleeps, those who want to stay up all night have ample opportunity to do so far away from those who don’t. Emma Teitel is a national affairs columnist.