Province looking at setting minimum prices for drinks to curb violence outside bars

[urban1]

Where can you even find drink specials in Calgary these days? Some of the places I remember 3 or 4 years ago had drink specials at $2.99 or $3.99 but even theyre up to $5 or $6 a drink with no specials.


http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...39763-sun.html

Thu, November 8, 2007

Last call on cheap booze

UPDATED: 2007-11-08 02:32:14 MST

Province looking at setting minimum prices for drinks to curb violence outside bars

By RICK BELL



Well, the idiots may have finally pushed a little too far.

We're talking about bars pushing bargain basement hooch to a crowd who wants to get loaded on the least possible loot, with those feeling no pain often becoming a huge pain to those who do.
Yes, the province is now seriously thinking about setting a minimum price on booze sold in licensed establishments, as suggested by Alberta's task force on crime.

[mykalberta]

The government should stay out of private buisness. Next they will add another tax on it. What they should do is make the establishment responsible for any physical altercations that happen within a 1 mile radius of the location. They should be forced to pay for the cops, ambulance etc to show up.

[Wookie]

Eh - it'll just lead to more pregame drinking and accidents on the way to the bar.

[Thunderball]

Stupid idea. People will drink to excess whether its $2/drink or $5/drink. That is the nature of alcohol consumption. Or they'll pre-drink more. This solves nothing in typical incompetent PC fashion.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

The government should stay out of private buisness. Next they will add another tax on it. What they should do is make the establishment responsible for any physical altercations that happen within a 1 mile radius of the location. They should be forced to pay for the cops, ambulance etc to show up.

Are you serious?
You think it's unreasonable for the government to make bars charge a minimum price to reduce the ammount of liquor consumed, but you think a viable alternate solution is to make bars pay for anything that happens within a mile of the bar?

How many bars are within a mile of the old cowboys? Let's see, I can think of about 20 without giving it much tought. So who pays for an ambulance call that's halfway between Cowboys and the Whiskey? Besides that, how is forcing bars to pay for ambulance calls 10 blocks away going to make people in the bar think twice about getting into a scrap? There has to be some deterrant to the bargoes to actually make a difference.

Is enforcing a minimum price going to make much of a dent in violence outside of bars? Probably not, but your solution is just plain silly.

That all being said, I think the real solution is to do away with mandatory closing times. Let everyone trickle out at their own pace instead of kicking everyone out at the same time. Nothing says trouble like a few hundred drunk folks milling around outside a bar at 2:00am.

[arsenal]

Like others have said. Raising prices inside the establishment is just plain stupid. It will cause people to pre drink more, and get drunk before they go to the bar, then buy 2 or 3 drinks at the bar to keep the buzz going. It isn't going to solve anything.

They should stop serving at around 2, and close when the last person leaves the bar, at around 3 or 4. Keep the music going, people dancing etc, and let people leave at their leisure.

But yah, the gov't should stop trying to regulate everything.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by arsenal

Like others have said. Raising prices inside the establishment is just plain stupid. It will cause people to pre drink more, and get drunk before they go to the bar, then buy 2 or 3 drinks at the bar to keep the buzz going. It isn't going to solve anything.

They should stop serving at around 2, and close when the last person leaves the bar, at around 3 or 4. Keep the music going, people dancing etc, and let people leave at their leisure.

But yah, the gov't should stop trying to regulate everything.

No bar is going to let people hang around untill 3 or 4 unless they are allowed to sell them booze. Why stay open when you're not making any money.
It's the stopping sales at 2 that causes a lot of the problems.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

No bar is going to let people hang around untill 3 or 4 unless they are allowed to sell them booze. Why stay open when you're not making any money.

Why not sell pop and coffee then? On a $3 pint of Pepsi they are still making about a $2.90 profit.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Why not sell pop and coffee then? On a $3 pint of Pepsi they are still making about a $2.90 profit.

Fair enough, but there's nothing stopping bars from doing that now, so why aren't they? I'll bet there are two reasons:
1) Not enough people are willing to stick around and pay for pop or coffee that it is worth the bar's effort
2) Too much of a pain in the ass, as everone in the bar will be giving the bartenders this line "Come on, I don't want a pop, just sell me one more beer, it's right there"

I still contend that the solution is more booze, not less

[Cowboy89]

I think this is really the 'Ted Morton' wing of the party (who deep down wish for prohibition) speaking. They know prohibition and temperence movements get no traction in public opinion so they focus on the crime and violence aspects and that seems to be speaking more to voters. This will do nothing positive and it will end up costing drinkers more money. These people also want to raise the drinking age to 19 and add more restrictions to liquor licenses from the ALGC. They've already made it illegal to have drinks in limos since Stelmach took the helm. This is a multi-step plan aimed at more government control over dirnking.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Why not sell pop and coffee then? On a $3 pint of Pepsi they are still making about a $2.90 profit.

As a business person I'd rather go the way of food service after hours. Quiet up the music, turn on the lights and then start the orders from the kitchen. Have you seen Denny's on a Friday night at 2AM?

[Oil Stain]

Only poor people are violent. This will eliminate the problem 100%.

[4X4]

1 cent drinks at the Fox downtown before 10. That sure got thursday nights rolling.

[Metro Gnome]

The only thing this would do is grant the government a little more control over private property. By no means would increasing the price of alcohol decrease the amount of "violence outside bars". And, if implemented, the government claim it would required "stiffer measures" or "more control" when it ended up not making any difference.

I'd like to see the direct causal connection between "price of alcohol in bars" and "violence in bar's vicinity". Of course, I doubt they've even bothered to actually research the issue. Typical government encroachment: identify (what seems to be) a problem and suggest a nonsense (but sensible sounding) solution and hope the citizenry buys in.

[Wookie]

..

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

I think this is really the 'Ted Morton' wing of the party (who deep down wish for prohibition) speaking. They know prohibition and temperence movements get no traction in public opinion so they focus on the crime and violence aspects and that seems to be speaking more to voters. This will do nothing positive and it will end up costing drinkers more money. These people also want to raise the drinking age to 19 and add more restrictions to liquor licenses from the ALGC. They've already made it illegal to have drinks in limos since Stelmach took the helm. This is a multi-step plan aimed at more government control over dirnking.

Quoted For Truth

You're also right about bars pulling a "Denny's" after hours. While not as lucrative as drink service, it could still pull in a tidy profit.

I'm sick of government sponsored social reform. Its a far cry from what goverment was created to do. I wonder what's next from the religious wing. Pre-marital sex punished by fines/jail terms, prohibiting women from working... god, I hate these people.

[foofighter15]

wont happen. dumb idea. Bars know that these nights bring in customers and they obviously need the business.

[Temporary_User]

I hate these money grabs. do higher taxes on drinks really make people drink less? A case of beer costs more here than it does in the states; yet we're known as a beer drinking country. ???

The gov't should do some research on what is the main reason for these fights. Yes alcohol plays a role, but there are other factors involved aswell.
People fight over cabs, do we need more?
Guys fight over girls, should we legalize prostitution?
I like the idea of having bars serve pop, coffee etc after the bar. Keeps people out of the cold, still having fun and less people fighting over the same cab.
Although would this lead to more people drinking and driving? have a few coffee's and then think that they are sober and can drive...

[alltherage]

I can actually see this being good personally. 25cent draft? $1.00 high balls? Its all crap. I've been to bars like the crack alley where they are just brutal trying to get people way too drunk so girls get naked and all sexed up and it makes me f___ing sick.

[RougeUnderoos]

Well at least Vickers was able to turn his frown upside down.