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Bar owners get their point across

Ask municipality for restraint in considering Olympic/Paralympic liquor licence

It will still be several months before Whistler’s bars and restaurants know the exact wording of provincial laws that will allow the creation of temporary liquor licences during the Olympics and Paralympics, but they are satisfied that the Resort Municipality is taking their concerns seriously.

“First and foremost, the municipality has been very accommodating of us through this whole process, having that meeting (on July 15) was more than other municipalities would even think of doing,” said Joey Gibbons, manager of the Gibbons Hospitality Group in Whistler and a member of the Whistler Food and Beverage Association.

“The legislation is set, it’s all basically happening, and right now we’re just trying to figure out how it will happen in Whistler.”

The liquor licenses would comply with all existing provincial liquor laws, but allow more flexibility when it comes to serving food that current liquor primary and food primary establishments don’t currently have. The law may allow for establishments to suspend their licences and apply for the new Olympic/Paralympic class of licence.

And while there’s no limit to how many licences can be awarded in Whistler or elsewhere in the province, the law would limit applications to Games facilities and services, Olympic and Paralympic sponsors, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), Canadian federal and provincial governments and foreign governments to operate licenced facilities. Local governments would also be allowed, although municipal planner Frank Savage said he is not aware of any plans for the Resort Municipality of Whistler to apply for a licence.

Gibbons says bars are concerned about how the licences will be used, especially if Olympic and Paralympic sponsors take over storefronts and buildings throughout the village during the Games. He also questions the need to offer more licences for Whistler.

“The one main difference between us and other cities where licences are going to be considered is that we are a village, we are the place that other places will try to emulate,” he said. “For example, Richmond is really spread out and will need to act differently than Whistler to create an Olympic Village with a temporary licence. Whistler already has that in place, and it’s working perfectly.

“What I’m hearing from the group (of bar owners) as a whole is that they don’t want these special licences given out to other people that are more beneficial when we’re the ones that go through the tough times in October and November and we’re the ones that are struggling to find staff. We don’t want the guy next door to get a special licence with extra privileges.

“I don’t think any of us are concerned when special licencing is used properly, but some people will try to take advantage of the Olympics and will go out and create a partnership that lets them apply for a licence, saying one thing and doing another. If they want to set up a special occasion licence at the medal ceremonies so the athletes and their families can have a glass of champagne, which is the kind of thing licences are meant for, we don’t have a problem with that.”

Gibbons adds that the additional licences would be understandable if a large number of bars and restaurants were rented out exclusively to Olympic sponsors and NOCs during the Games and closed to the public, but to date he says only five establishments out of more than 100 have signed agreements. As well, no countries have signed on to build on the proposed Neighbourhood of Nations site, where other countries would presumably apply for liquor licences to entertain visitors and their fans. Canada House in Torino, for example, was a popular destination and held parties almost nightly during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Given Whistler’s current staffing shortage, Gibbons says bar and restaurant owners are also worried that their workers will be lured away by sponsors with deep pockets. “There is already a worker shortage in town, so when somebody is looking to set up an establishment during the Games, where do you think they’ll go? They’ll come to us,” he said.

Gibbons acknowledges that it will be up to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch to decide how to award the Olympic/Paralympic licences, but says the municipality will have a say in the process. In the meantime, bar and restaurant owners are writing to the province with their concerns and asking to be kept in the loop about the progress of the legislation and other developments.

Savage also says the first meeting was a positive starting point.

“There are still concerns, but for just getting the information and real goods out it was valuable for us and them, and (bars and restaurants) still have an opportunity to respond to both the municipality and LCLB itself,” he said.

“As we’ve said, the legislation has passed. There was enabling legislation passed in April of this year creating a new licence category. Clearly it’s a temporary licence that will only be considered from October 2009 to October 2010, but from our understanding it could be for one night as well.

“This is also just the consultation paper, the regulations will be coming out in draft form sometime this fall, and there will be additional consultation on the actual regulations that won’t go into effect until fall, 2009.”

Technically establishments with the Olympic and Paralympic licence can be open from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., which is the same as existing licence restrictions in the province. However, like provincial licences, hours of operation will be set by the municipal government — generally 2 a.m. in Whistler’s case.

The public can comment on the consultation paper to the municipality until July 25, and to the LCLB until Aug. 7. A copy of the consultation paper is at www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/lclb/.