A group representing the Vancouver hospitality industry says a new program aimed at curbing late-night violence in the entertainment district will only make the problem worse.
Tania Richards with the Hospitality Vancouver Association says rather than clearing out downtown troublemakers, the “last entry hour” program will only concentrate them on the streets.
LISTEN: The Hospitality Vancouver Association says new rules could actually cause more problems downtown
The new program rolls out July 1 and essentially stops bars and clubs from allowing new customers to enter after 2 a.m.
Clients who are already inside can stay until 3 a.m., with the goal of staggering when late-night revellers end up out on the streets.
“We definitely agree with the idea of gradual exiting, we have done something similar in the past when it was actually 4 a.m. instead of 2 a.m., which is going the other direction here,” Richards said.
She says her organization shares the city’s goal of making the area safer, but argues doing so requires a more comprehensive plan.
But she says the last entry hour, by contrast, is a one-off attempt to solve the problem that risks making it worse.
“This doesn’t really do it. All this does is keep more people on the street during the peak time so our patrons are having a really hard time getting home,” she said.
“Public transportation stops, we have a lack of cab service in our city when there’s high demand, and we don’t have ride sharing programs. So all we’re doing is putting more people on the streets that can’t really get home. So we actually think it runs the risk of causing more issues not less.”
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Richards says her group believes the new regulations will cost businesses in the West End and Granville Entertainment District millions of dollars, which she says will mean layoffs for staff.
And she says businesses were shut out of the decision-making process, when they could have contributed valuable insight into the problems facing the area.
“Now we have only a few days to try and educate the general public about this policy and let them know what’s coming down the pipe.”