Ontario loosening BYOB permit rules, but you can only crack a cold one at specific public events

Mayors in Waterloo Region were caught off guard by an announcement that would allow people to bring their own alcohol to more events. CTV’s Karis Mapp reports.

The province is making it easier to “bring-you-own” alcohol to outdoor events.

Starting April 30, Ontario will expand the permit process for municipally-designated culture or community events.

Premier Doug Ford specifically cited farmer’s markets, movie screenings, art exhibits and neighbourhood festivals during Tuesday’s announcement at Queen’s Park.

Under the new rules, people over the age of 19 can bring and then consume pre-purchased alcohol in designated areas within the event space.

The “bring-your-own” permits, previously known as tailgate permits, used to only be allowed for live sporting events.

Attorney General Doug Downey promised, in a media release, the expansion would “save attendees money, lower overhead costs for event organizers and contribute to local economies.”

The first step in the process will be dictated by each individual municipality. The province said they will have to decide which events are eligible and then pass a bylaw, if they don’t already have one in place. They will also be responsible for establishing the decision process for determining what qualifies as a festival or cultural event. Event organizers can then apply for a permit with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

While the plan may seem like good news for event-goers, not every community celebration is on board with BYOB.

“It would have been better to have been consulted…”

Some local mayors said they were not given advanced notice about the change.

“This is something that we hadn’t heard about until today from the province,” Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said. “As always, it would have been better to have been consulted in advance, but we’ll be looking to look into the details of that and learning more as the province provides more information.”

For now, cities in Waterloo Region will have some homework to do before they decide how they want to proceed.

“Well, not knowing all of the details, we will have to study them once they come out and to understand how they may apply to us locally,” Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett said. “It’s definitely a policy shift that I know other municipalities have been exploring, depending on how it’s implemented and enforced.”

One of the big factors to consider is how the addition of alcohol could impact longstanding events.

“The city does a large amount of events throughout the year that are considered family friendly, so we’ll have to really take a look at if events are even appropriate to have alcohol added to them,” McCabe said.

However, it is not an entirely novel idea.

“We did experiment with [relaxing alcohol regulations], as did Toronto and some other places,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said. “I think in our own city, there was a mixed review. We didn’t see a whole lot of uptake. Certainly, there were some folks who felt it made the park maybe a little less welcoming, especially for some families and families with children. Others saw it as really not being a major concern that adults can choose to have a beverage in a responsible way.”

“Ultimately, if we decide to proceed with it, we will do it in a way that makes sure that we meet our obligations in terms of a bylaw, as well as any obligations that we might have both with our event partners and with the AGCO,” he added.

How do local event organizers feel?

Waterloo Region is home to several events where alcohol is plentiful, such as K-W Oktoberfest.

“K-W Oktoberfest is encouraged to see the Government of Ontario continuing to prioritize tourism and community events in its policy planning. Today’s announcement regarding expanded “bring‑your‑own” alcohol (BYOB) permits for municipally designated outdoor cultural and community events reflects a clear interest in supporting festivals, local businesses and economic activity across the province,” a statement from Tracey Van Kalsbeek, K-W Oktoberfest executive director, said.

For now, they will have to wait and see what the cities decide to do.

“K-W Oktoberfest remains committed to offering a safe, high‑quality and authentically Bavarian experience. As the regulatory landscape evolves, we will continue to work closely with our municipal partners, Festhallen, community groups and the province to understand what this could mean for large‑scale events like ours.”

But some event organizers are also raising potential safety concerns.

“We can manage how many [alcoholic drinks] you buy at a time, we can limit how many you purchase. And we can also watch you as you’re drinking, and we’ll cut you off,” Guy Exley, event producer with Impact Events Group, said. “But if people are bringing their own alcohol, who’s responsible for the liability?”

Impact Events Group is responsible for several local festivals, including Ribfest and Craft Beer shows and Waterloo Brewing Summer Brew Fest.

“Alcohol sales are a key component to the revenue for the [Ribfest] event to make it a success. If we didn’t have that, the event would not happen or we’d have to charge a gate admission or something along those lines to make that happen,” he explained.

He said, as someone who runs a beer festival, he wants people to be able to enjoy alcohol at events, but he wants that to happen in a safe and positive way.

“Alcohol sales are drastically dropping in all aspects: bars, restaurants, events, LCBO. So it’s just interesting that the government is continuing to focus on alcohol as an aspect of social life.”