Day 5 - Liquor Licensing, BC style

The BC government is currently doing a review of the Liquor Licensing in BC.  The laws in BC are old, and designed to restrict and control drink sales, rather than promote sensible drinking and responsible service.  Drinking is seen as a 'bad thing' and shouldn't be encouraged, or if possible, allowed.  Read the BC Liquor Act some time, and you'll see how narrow and restrictive the right to buy and enjoy alcohol is in the province.

While I don't think it should be a free for all, I don't think the current system serves us well.  Premises can either by liquor primary (serving booze with food) or food primary (selling food, with no more than 50% of income can come from liquor sales).  These leaves a whole set of problems.  Liquor Primary Licences are hard to come by and are not freely available.  This restricts trade and restricts businesses from opening up and serving the public.  It protects bad pubs from competition.

Food primary licenses are easier to obtain, but still restrictive to businesses.  If you wanted to run a cocktail and food bar, serving high wine and hard liquor... you run a foul of the 50% rule quickly.  If you buy  $160 bottle of wine to enjoy, you have to spend $160 on food to meet the rules.  The venue can balance some of that with patrons spending more on food than their wine bills, but it does restrict the service they can provide.  More over a food primary licence still means you have to be in the business of mainly selling food and drink.  You can't branch out and offer space for meetings.  Or private karaoke booths.  Or sell board games.  Or have special music events.

There's no flexibility, and this leads to again to restriction in competition, on innovative business ideas and makes alcohol the bogey man.  All ills are from the demon drink.  Instead of encouraging responsible drinking, it's made to be a special privilege.  In my view, that licence should be removed where it's not used appropriately.  The board should indeed be able to close down badly run establishments, ensure liquor is not sold to minors, and patrons are not 'over served', that the police have the power to control places which are causing disturbances. 

The board also control special event licensing.  As written, the rules restrict those licences to non-profit organizations to sell at community events (with a loose definition of what that really means) or private parties where the drinks have to be given away. You, as a private citizen, are supposed to apply for one (at a cost of $25 plus $25 for the police check in Victoria) if you want to have a party outside your home where alcohol will be served.  If you want to run a small bar for a one-off event... no chance at all.  But if you own a food venue, you can run an event with beer and wine for sales on a regular basis.. effectively making a it a temporary bar, with none of the controls a licensed venue has to have. Something the Victoria Police are concerned about.

Licences can not be given to event managers, who might be the best people to run one off events, and easier to train and over view.  You can't get one easily if your a licensed bar managed wanting to run a bar for a wedding.  The board will restrict you from drinking in front of minors.  The board will make it hard for you to move drinks from the service area to the dance floor at your wedding.  Just in case a child might see you enjoy a glass of wine.  Something they've seen you do many times at home.  

This just makes drinking seen as 'special' and 'taboo', when it should be seen as anything but.  I don't want a province full of people drinking every day, causing trouble.  But I do think we should be allowed to enjoy a drink responsibly, in many circumstances where it's a way of celebrating, relaxing and just every day life.