Bars, pubs and nightclubs operating in Vancouver’s downtown core will be able to extend daily liquor service until 4 a.m., after a unanimous decision from city council Tuesday. But in order to keep the doors open and the booze flowing, individual businesses will have to opt-in and apply for changes to their licences, officials explained. A report from staff recommended changes that would allow so-called “liquor primary” businesses in the downtown core to extend liquor service until 3 a.m. seven days a week. For businesses outside of the core, the proposal was to allow alcohol service until 3 a.m. on weekends. “Proposed updates aim to provide more opportunity and flexibility for new and existing businesses, reduce regulatory barriers, bolster local economies and enhance neighbourhood vibrancy by providing more late-night options in the city for dining, hospitality and nightlife for residents and visitors, while considering neighbourhood livability, public safety and health,” the report said. Two bar owners who spoke in support of the motion urged council not to make distinctions based on geography, saying there is a need to create a level playing field and arguing that giving people more places to drink in their neighbourhoods could mitigate some of the risk of drunk driving. ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung proposed extending service for an additional hour in the downtown core to align with provincial regulations which allow bars to stay open until 4 a.m., which is currently allowed a handful of time per venue. “Keep it simple. Let’s enable a vibrant industry across the city. Let’s make it easier for businesses to do business,” she said. “This is about giving businesses a choice.” Kirby-Yung said her amendment was made in the spirit of “alignment” between provincial and municipal regulations but also acknowledged this would create different rules for businesses in different areas. She maintained that downtown is a distinct area with distinct needs, in part because legitimate businesses need to be given the opportunity to compete with a “proliferation” of unsanctioned after-hours operations. “I think that when you give people the ability to be adults and positive spaces for them to be inside, that is a better scenario than turning people out,” she said. “When you shut (down at) that arbitrary timeline, they’re just going literally next door, half a block down the street, and they’re going to an illegal after hours that does not have the same sort of safety considerations and the same operating commitments.” COPE Coun. Sean Orr voted in favour of the amendment. “I just want to say that it’s good to see council vote to expand the hours of safe consumption sites,” he said, alluding to how council’s concerns over the dangers of unregulated and inadequately supervised places for people to consume alcohol closely resembled the way harm reduction advocates speak about the need for overdose prevention sites. Transit, safety, public health: Issues raised One of the concerns raised about extending liquor service and operating hours at all was that a dearth of late-night public transit would lead to increases in impaired driving and leave workers without a safe and affordable way to get home. The last SkyTrain out of downtown departs around 1 a.m., earlier than the 2 a.m. last call already allowed in the city. Kirby-Yung’s amendment also directed the mayor to write to TransLink to urge them to extend SkyTrain operating hours. However, a city spokesperson at the meeting pointed out this option has already been studied and dismissed as “unfeasible” by the transit authority. In a statement, TransLink said additional funding – which has yet to be approved – will allow for more bus routes to operate 24/7. “We work closely with municipalities to ensure services continue to meet demand and will remain in conversation with the City of Vancouver as their plans progress, a spokesperson wrote in an email to CTV News. Denis Agar with Movement YVR says SkyTrain and Night Bus service in Metro Vancouver is “inadequate,” especially for people travelling to the suburbs. “Transit and SkyTrain can be fast for a lot of people up until like 1:30 and then it falls off a cliff,” explains Agar. “We have about 10 bus routes that do the heavy lifting for the entire region. One bus to Coquitlam, one to Surrey, one to Richmond. It’s just not enough, too slow and too infrequent.” The potential impacts on public safety and increased spending on policing were also raised as potential consequences. “Street disorder is always an issue,” a representative form the Vancouver Police Department said about the Granville Entertainment District, who added that the number of fights, stabbings, and incidents varies weekend-to-weekend. A conservative estimate given for the policing costs associated with extending liquor service downtown was $125,000. Addressing the specific issue of gender-based violence, Orr put forward an amendment asking staff to report back on how much it would cost to increase funding for Good Night Out Vancouver – a community organization that patrols the streets to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault. The amendment passed unanimously. Mark Lysyshyn, deputy chief medical health officer at Vancouver Coastal Health, spoke in opposition to the motion and argued that increasing the availability of alcohol increases the overall risk of alcohol-related harms. “Alcohol consumption is associated with numerous health risks, including cancer, heart disease, liver disease, injuries, violence, addiction and death,” he told council. “Alcohol is a significant burden on the health-care system,” Lysyshyn added, saying data shows an increase in hospitalizations, deaths, and injuries over the past 10 years. Late night and early-morning drinking, specifically, were cited as cause for concern. “The type of drinking that’s done in that time frame is more risky, it’s more likely to result in problems, and these are particularly problems not only to the person engaging in the drinking, but to other people,” he said. Green Coun. Pete Fry said he supported the plan to extend downtown hours until 4 a.m. reluctantly and asked whether it would be difficult or onerous to reverse course if it proves to be “more of a burden than it was worth.” City staff said the process for undoing the changes would be relatively straightforward. “If we see a significant impact, staff can return with bylaw amendments to roll back the hours,” the city’s chief licensing officer said.
