Friday, April 15, 2005
Liquor laws and strip polls
This country sure is a funny place. Take, for example, Canadian provincial liquor laws. Spare the differences in enforced legal drinking age between provinces and territories (some 18, others 19) since there are bigger fish to fry.
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It appears that the province of Quebec could soon follow the British lead and move to 24 hour bar hours. The rationale for potential move in Quebec is different then the one provided in the UK. The Quebec Bar Owners' Association wants to strengthen the bottomline of their members. This is logical and fair. If bars can't make money staying open past 3 AM, they will not stay open. The Association, however, should go farther in it's arguement.
Quebec should take a page from the UK example. In the UK, police agencies, bar owners and concerned citizens lobbied to extend bar hours in the name of public safety. On first blush this may seem odd, but read on. The UK was experiencing an outbreak of anti-social behaviour (fighting, vomiting and public urination, etc) that was getting costly to police. Therefore, decision makers were convinced by European results showing a more relaxed drinking environment removed the flashpoints of violence and disorder. Although there were more bar patrons, arrests for drunken and disorderly conduct and other offences were down and police and taxi drivers reported less friction on the streets.
Basically less of this
More of this
While Quebec entertains the notion of progressive liquor law change, Saskatchewan sits ideal. Newsflash it is still illegal in that province to view a naked person and consume alcohol.
There is conservative and then there is stupid.
.It appears that the province of Quebec could soon follow the British lead and move to 24 hour bar hours. The rationale for potential move in Quebec is different then the one provided in the UK. The Quebec Bar Owners' Association wants to strengthen the bottomline of their members. This is logical and fair. If bars can't make money staying open past 3 AM, they will not stay open. The Association, however, should go farther in it's arguement.
Quebec should take a page from the UK example. In the UK, police agencies, bar owners and concerned citizens lobbied to extend bar hours in the name of public safety. On first blush this may seem odd, but read on. The UK was experiencing an outbreak of anti-social behaviour (fighting, vomiting and public urination, etc) that was getting costly to police. Therefore, decision makers were convinced by European results showing a more relaxed drinking environment removed the flashpoints of violence and disorder. Although there were more bar patrons, arrests for drunken and disorderly conduct and other offences were down and police and taxi drivers reported less friction on the streets.
Basically less of this
More of this
While Quebec entertains the notion of progressive liquor law change, Saskatchewan sits ideal. Newsflash it is still illegal in that province to view a naked person and consume alcohol.
There is conservative and then there is stupid.
# posted by Shaky @ 7:04 p.m. 
