Party on, Vancouver: City Council moves ahead with plan to relax liquor laws
Major changes are coming to Vancouver’s liquor laws after the City Council passed a motion Wednesday to lift rules that critics have called outdated and unaligned with efforts to fight Vancouver’s “no-fun” reputation.
The motion, Policy and By-law Updates to Regulation of Liquor Establishments Including
Distance Requirements, passed with the majority of votes.
It allows changes to previous limits that were placed on distances required between operators. To put it simply, businesses that serve liquor can be next to each other.
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Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung said the move lets Vancouver cluster the businesses similar to places like Port Moody, where breweries can operate next to each other.
Plus, businesses like spas or barbershops could apply for a non-traditional licence to serve alcohol.
BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association President Ian Tostenson said the move is a “message of hope” and comes at a time when many bars and restaurants are still fighting the effects of the pandemic.
But while many spoke in support of the motion as a way to help struggling businesses, many speakers warned about the risks.
The changes will increase alcohol availability, which will increase the risk to public health, Vancouver’s top doctor warned.
“What concerns me is the scale of what is proposed today,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patricia Daly warned, adding that it comes without countermeasures to offset the harms.
“My primary recommendation is to proceed with a measure of caution,” she said, flagging that lifting the moratorium on the Granville Entertainment District is the biggest one.
Currently, the rules limit the number of new liquor licences and the number of seats at establishments in that area, but the Council voted not only to lift those rules but also to expand it beyond the Granville Entertainment District to other neighbourhoods like Chinatown and Gastown.
Daly says that police, medical professionals, and hospitals are concerned about an influx of patients and the harms that come from alcohol use, and having more businesses selling alcohol in a small area comes with impacts on other residents.
“Historically, this area attracts people from all parts of the region outside of Vancouver, and yet many of these harms caused by these non-Vancouver residents engaging in excessive drinking when visiting Granville Street will actually be suffered by the residents of Vancouver themselves, such as the public disorder, and the increase in assaults and sex assaults.”
Staff have been sent back to report on mitigating the risks, as well as follow up with stakeholders on these concerns.
#VanCityCouncil approves the amended recommendations of report 1 – Policy and By-law Updates on Regulation of Liquor Establishments Including Location and Distance.
— Vancouver City Clerk (@VanCityClerk) December 13, 2023