Ontario’s liquor laws officially began to loosen a bit today (June 1), and just in time for the summer festival season.
The prospect of finally getting a reprieve from the police state atmosphere we’ve come to expect at outdoor events is pretty exciting, but how will the changes really effect this year’s NXNE, Pride and the festival-formerly-known-as-Caribana? Don’t get your hopes up too high.
Yes, festivals are now allowed to define larger areas for drinking, but that will also mean increased costs for paid-duty police (who don’t come cheap) and increased security. In many cases this will negate any economic advantage to a larger beer garden.
As well, these are still fenced off areas that you’ll need ID to enter, so unless the event is exclusively 19+, the drinkers will still be cordoned off from the action. The changes in the laws also give the AGCO the power to impose special “risk-based” conditions on events that it believes require special attention, which could actually lead to some organizers having to operate under tighter regulations than before.
There are definitely some aspects of the changes that are worth getting excited about. The easing of restrictions on how patios operate is good news for everyone who’s ever stood in line for the privilege of drinking outdoors in the summer.
Allowing for patrons to leave a bar or restaurant with a drink in hand and wander a street festival is tantalizingly close to the freedom that much of the rest of the world enjoys, but keep in mind this would only be allowed when the street is caged off for 19+ drinkers, which just isn’t practical for many events.
The more interesting changes, however, haven’t been publicized as much, and could really shift the way we party.
First of all, Special Occasion Permits (SOP) will now allow events to serve until 2 am instead of just 1 am, which will make it much more feasible to produce successful events in alternative venues.
Businesses like art galleries and spas (yeah, we’re not sure why the latter was mentioned either) will now be able to apply for an SOP as well, which could really open the door for more unconventional events. Venues with tiered seating (ie. theatres and stadiums) will also be able to apply for SOPs, which means we may not have to be stuck drinking in the lobby bar as often.
More changes are coming August 2, the most significant being that businesses that are not primarily bars or restaurants will be able to apply for ongoing liquor licenses instead of just temporary permits, which will really transform the music venue landscape in Toronto. Expect to see a huge jump in the number of multi-purpose event spaces, and way more music happening outside of the traditional bar and club scene.
All restrictions on tiered seating will be eliminated, which seems ridiculously long overdue.
A few more changes are slated to come July 2 2012, but these aren’t quite as exciting, and are more about streamlining and simplifying various aspects. The most significant aspect is that SOPs will be available for multiple day events, so that organizers can keep the leftover booze from one day to use on the next. The fact that such a restriction exists in the first place should help you understand why we don’t have more great multi-day festivals going on in Toronto, despite the obvious tourist cash cow they provide. Why they’re waiting another year to make such a no-brainer change is beyond us, but at least it’s coming.
It’s nice to see Ontario edging towards a more modern approach to alcohol laws, but the process is still painfully slow, and it remains to be seen how big of an impact today’s first step will actually have. Better late than never?
