A group of Calgary businesses impacted by the construction on 17 Avenue is asking for changes to the liquor laws to allow for pedestrians to carry open liquor containers on the busy street, but the province’s liquor control board said that’s easier said than done.
Troy Wolfe, the owner of Pet Planet, is one of several businesses to launch a petition calling for updated liquor laws – along with some other proposed changes that he says would create a more “vibrant corridor.”
The petition calls for open liquor to be permitted until 10 p.m., as long as it is in plastic to-go cups.
LISTEN: Pet Planet owner talks to Danielle Smith about petition calling for open liquor on 17 Avenue
WATCH BELOW: Construction takes bite out of business on Calgary’s 17 Avenue
“People are naturally going to be drawn away because of the construction, but we want to bring them back with a unique experience,” Wolfe explained.
Wolfe said Tuesday he plans to bring the petition before council in January and hopes to have the new rules in place after the Christmas shopping season ends but before construction ramps up again in the spring.
He said there are examples in the U.S. where allowing open liquor has been really successful – including New York City.
But the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) said Tuesday it is working with a different set of rules.
“A lot of these jurisdictions operate under a considerably different framework,” said AGLC acting director Rob Pape, adding that the liquor control board regularly reviews policies in other cities, both nationally and internationally, to “determine what trends are occurring.”
The AGLC said it has no licence in place that would allow for open liquor containers along 17 Avenue outside of a special event.
“We don’t have a licence class for that, so in order to do something like that, we would have to do a full review of what exactly the request is,” Pape said.
He added such a review would take time and would require input from a number of stakeholders, including police.
The City of Calgary said Tuesday it has “no jurisdiction to any sort of open-liquor street regulation.”
Other changes being proposed include relaxing the bylaws around street performers and buskers, advertising on sidewalks, and food trucks and pop-up stores. The petition also asks that more benches and tables be installed to attract pedestrians and that temporary stages be set up at each construction zone where bands can perform.
LISTEN: The AGLC tells News Talk 770 it doesn’t have a license in place to allow for open liquor on 17 Avenue outside of special events
WATCH BELOW: 17 Avenue businesses hold block party to counter City of Calgary construction
Wolfe said businesses don’t want permanent changes to the rules but that they hope relaxing the liquor laws during construction might bring more pedestrians to the area.
“Our goal is to create attraction throughout the construction period and use that time as an experiment to change the rules a little bit – see what works, see what doesn’t work,” Wolfe said. “Eventually, if people want it to stay, then why not?”
Wolfe said construction has been hard on businesses along 17 Avenue. He said some have had their services cut off for periods of time and others have had their access from the street cut off.
“It’s just been awful,” he said, adding that a meeting is planned for Friday to discuss the challenges from the past construction season. He said he hopes it should be back to “business as usual” between November and the end of March.
The city said construction along 17 Avenue is expected to continue until at least 2019.
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