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Eight new private liquor outlets under provincial review

Whistler council scrambling to pass bylaw to control licences Ken Boyer, the managing partner of the Dubh Linn Gate, is hoping one day to see a small, upscale liquor boutique tucked into the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Whistler council scrambling to pass bylaw to control licences

Ken Boyer, the managing partner of the Dubh Linn Gate, is hoping one day to see a small, upscale liquor boutique tucked into the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel.

"(It’ll be) high-end," he said.

"Our concept is (to sell) the better, more expensive brands. We’re really geared to service the guests of the Pan Pacific."

The application for the Pan Pacific boutique is currently before the provincial government, bringing the total number of applications for new liquor outlets to 523 province-wide.

Eight of those applications are from restaurants or hotels in Whistler.

The municipality is now scrambling to get a zoning amendment bylaw passed that would give them control over the approval of these private liquor stores within the resort. As it currently stands they have no control over the applications to the province.

"We’re just looking to have some opportunity to review them locally," said Mike Kirkegaard, senior planner for the municipality.

On Monday, Dec. 16 council gave first and second reading to a new zoning amendment bylaw. Essentially the bylaw would grandfather all existing liquor and off sales stores and require any new stores to be subject to a local approval process.

It is intended to give the municipality control over a possible proliferation of liquor stores in the resort.

In the meantime council will withhold any building permits needed for those eight new stores while the bylaw is being prepared.

"We have the authority to withhold building permits while a bylaw is under consideration by council and we have now been directed by council to do so," said Kirkegaard.

A public hearing about the bylaw amendment is scheduled for the council meeting on Monday, Jan. 13.

"On a personal side and a business side I don’t want to see a bucketful of bylaws put in place every time business has the ability to go forward but certainly when liquor’s involved there’s a bigger concern," said John Grills, who owns two Whistler restaurants, Thai One On and Zeuski’s.

"Anything that’s going to dramatically increase the volume of liquor flowing into the village (the municipality) would like to able to structure."

After thanking municipal staff for moving ahead quickly with the bylaw amendments, Councillor Nick Davies said it was "offensive" that the province offloaded the responsibility of the liquor stores and neglected to give communities the power to deal with them.

Councillor Kristi Wells added: "We’re really in a race with the province right now."

There are concerns at municipal hall that additional private liquor stores may exacerbate existing problems in the village.

In the administrative report to council it states: "This lack of a municipal review and approval process is a serious concern given the existing problems the resort community has with noise, rowdyism, assaults and vandalism related to drinking, particularly in Whistler Village.

"This problem has in part been associated with the accessibility of liquor in Whistler Village."

To date there are seven outlets which sell packaged liquor: the two B.C. liquor stores, Hoz’s, the Boot, Blackcomb Cold Beer and Wine, Tapley’s and the Longhorn.

"I think that there are existing locations and we need to carefully review the need for additional stores and the character of those stores," said Kirkegaard.

In August the province lifted its moratorium on licensing of new private liquor stores and opened the door for any new applications. The moratorium had been imposed by the previous NDP government.

Any licensees had until Nov. 28 to get their applications to the province.

Of the 28 eligible applicants in Whistler, the eight who applied were the Pan Pacific Hotel, the Delta Whistler Resort, the Westin Resort and Spa, the AlpenRock House, the Listel Hotel, the Westbrook Hotel, the Brew House and Milestone’s.

"What we’ve applied for is a very small store that would basically service the guests at the Pan Pacific, if you want to phone down and order a bottle of wine for your room," said Boyer.

"We don’t really see a lot of retail trade for where we are."

The new liquor store changes are just one part of a slew of recent changes to the provincial liquor laws.

"Maybe the fact that so many (changes) came at once caused more reaction (at the municipality) than had it just been one thing," said Grills, who is also chair of Whistler’s Liquor Licence Advisory Committee.

Grills is referring to the Dec. 2 sweeping changes to the Liquor Licensing Act which, among other things, allows 4 a.m. closings and the ability to serve drinks in restaurants without ordering food.

He said some of the changes are quite dramatic.

"Eight or nine new liquor stores would be a big change."

Solicitor General Rich Coleman said that not all of the 523 private liquor store applications will be approved and he’s not worried about the market being flooded with liquor stores.

"I don’t think that’s our responsibility to decide what the market will bear," he said, as reported on the CBC News Web site. "I think the market will adjust itself."

Boyer said it’s not even clear at this point if the province will approve the Dubh Linn Gate’s store in the Pan Pacific.

"We’re a town of 9,000 people but during the season we’re a town of 50,000," he said.

"Is eight small liquor stores a lot? I don’t know."