*EDITOR’S NOTE: Parks in Alberta were previously allowed to serve alcohol at their discretion as long as food was being provided as well. The proposed amendments would remove the food requirement.
The Alberta government is proposing five amendments to the province’s consumption laws.
The UCP said Bill 2, the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Amendment Act, removes “unnecessary restrictions on liquor sales, promotes responsible drinking in parks and cuts unnecessary red tape.”
One amendment would create a simpler process by which municipalities and Metis settlements can respond to an application for a liquor licence (in a community that doesn’t already have one).
“AGLC is committed to working with industry partners to continue to bring forward policy changes that support business development,” AGLC president Alain Maisonneuve said.
“While innovation is the driving force behind the amendments, AGLC remains committed to offering responsible choices that Albertans can trust, while maintaining a regulatory environment that remains effective in reducing social harms.”
Another amendment would ease restrictions on liquor consumption in parks and let municipalities determine whether drinking in public parks will be allowed without also requiring food.
Parks in Alberta were previously allowed to serve alcohol at their discretion as long as food was being provided as well. The proposed amendments would remove the food requirement.
Last May, Premier Jason Kenney announced relaxed rules around liquor consumption in provincial parks. Alcohol could be consumed by adults in eight provincial parks where it was previously banned.
The UCP government also clarified liquor rules to allow event organizers the ability to serve drinks where they see fit on festival grounds.
More changes are likely around the corner.
In a news release Wednesday, the province said it will continue to review and modernize legislation and that “additional action will soon be taken to further improve the regulations surrounding Alberta’s liquor laws.”
If passed, Bill 2 would come into effect April 1.
It passed first reading in the Alberta legislature on Wednesday.