Council last week rejected an application from Whistler’s six
nightclubs to extend their operating hours to 3 a.m. on the nights of Aug. 15
and 16 during the mountain biking festival Crankworx.
“The additional hour was not in direct support of the
festival,” Frank Savage, planner for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, said
to council.
“In fact, the festival organizers did not sanction the event
and really did not support it… There was no extra transportation that would be
provided by the proponents, and considering that the bus stops running at 3
a.m., it could create a problem for patrons to return home.”
RCMP officers also had some concerns about extending the hours
of operation for Buffalo Bill’s, Moe Joe’s, Tommy Africa’s, Savage Beagle, Maxx
Fish and Garfinkel’s, since their resources on summer nights are already
stretched thin with the usual 2 a.m. closure.
And there was no specific event going on in any of these venues
that would require this type of liquor license request, said Savage.
During the Tuesday’s council meeting, Councillor Bob Lorriman
said he would also like to go on the record saying that the RMOW has a good
partnership with the local nightclubs.
“Being a resort community, people are coming here and that type
of entertainment is an important part of the business we are in, and they do
provide a good environment for drinking,” said Lorriman.
“We are really lucky that we have great operators in this town, and they do a good job, and they work very closely with the RCMP.”
