Happy Hours and Allowing Minors to Dine With Parents at Pubs
Vancouver, B.C. – Premier Christy Clark has announced her government's support of another suite of recommendations to change B.C.'s Liquor Laws.
The latest grouping of changes include one that would would allow children to go with their parents to pubs, Legions or membership clubs where liquor is served at meal time "Families should be able to dine together in their neighbourhood pub." says Premier Clark.
She also announced support for changes that would allow a person to carry their own drink from the lounge to the restaurant part of an operation, and a recommendation that would allow "Happy Hours" with drink specials as long as there is a "minimum"price.
"These changes are about updating antiquated licensing rules to reflect what British Columbians actually want, while continuing to protect public safety," said Premier Clark "100 years is a long time to wait to update your liquor laws."
Other changes that will benefit the hospitality industry include simplified, common-sense licensing rules. If patrons do not wish to eat, they will no longer be required to order food when they are in a food-primary establishment.
The B.C. government will further increase flexibility around licensing by giving liquor-primary establishments and clubs, such as legions, the option to accommodate minors up until a certain hour in the evening. This means, for
example, that parents will be able to take their kids for a bite to eat at a pub or to enjoy some music at a legion that chooses to be family friendly.
The report on updating B.C.'sLiquor Laws contains 70 recommendations. The Province has already indicated support for suggested changes that would benefit tourism, small businesses and liquor manufacturers.
It is anticipated that Yap's report on the review will be publicly released prior to Feb. 15, 2014, once Cabinet has had the opportunity to fully consider its 70- plus recommendations.
Premier Clark says the changes could be in effect as early as this spring.
Comments
Bizarre⦠must be a continuation of her “families first” initiative. Yet we all know child poverty has increased in BC to 18.6 % under that initiative!
Take your baby to the pub. Then head out for a rip bud
Great idea to expose children to drinking and pubs at an early age. Gotta start them young.
This is dumb on so many reasons.
One – many adults go to pubs because we don’t want to eat while some kid screams like a banshee.
Two – language is generally rougher in pubs, now with kids in there, servers are going to feel obligated to tell Johnny Redneck that after a hard day of risking his life in the bush, quiet down, there’s children in yonder table over there.
Three – children will get to witness first hand just how childless adults can be.
Maybe I missed something, but is the government forcing people to take their kids to pubs?
Whatever happened to raise by example??/ Mannn Next thing you know, they’ll say… pot is ok for them to smoke.. better than cigarettes.
That should be childish.
Other parts of the world have allowed this for ages. I don’t see the big deal. Sounds like there will be time restrictions and it also sounds like it will be up to the individual business. A lot of pubs are not these seedy and vulgar places that many of you make them out to be. I wouldn’t take my kids somewhere awful. But a nice pub for lunch? Why not?
Forget the kids, bring on Happy Hour!
Who voted for these yahoos? I know I didn’t!!! As for IhI’s comment, there already are places where you can take your kids and still have a drink⦠they are called “restaurants”. Oops, and now the CN Centre…
There’s not too many other jurisdictions anywhere that I can think that have more regulations, red tape, and all-out bureaucracy regarding the service and pricing of alcohol than BC.
But I guess it keeps people employed, right? ;-)
Welcome to 2013 BC!
Children in a pub is not a big deal. I’m sure it will be hours before 6pm if I were guessing. If they allow it later than that, then it might become an issue.
As for the Happy Hour, as I’ve experienced across the border in WA, it’s nothing more than watered down bottom shelf plonk they serve during these deals. Nothing to worry about really.
I do believe they allow this in Ontario, yet their cold beer stores are antiquated.
What next, kids in casinos
Can you define family friendly. If the Croft offers free teddy bears at the shows, would that be defined family friendly.
We went to a pub the other day and we had to move far from the table where we usually like to sit as a character was loudly swearing from the time he sat down with his buddies! The foul language was something else!
Maybe the presence of families will shame these types into not making a sorry spectacle of themselves in public!
One can always hope!
A lot of places in the world allow parents to bring their kids to pubs I don’t disagree with this idea look at restaurants already how many parents there get sloshed infront of their kids there. I myself am a non drinker but love the food in pubs and in many cases find the food better at pubs than many restaurants.
The caveat should be a minimum allowable age to bring a child to the pub. Say no younger than 7 yrs old
Children in pubs? Terrible idea. There are more than enough licensed restaurants around if parents want to hit the sauce. Where’s a guy to go to get away from snot nosed kids?
To pubs: bring children in and you’ve lost this customer.
my kids have always asked whats it like in a pub. I just say not much difference than the lounge areas at boston pizza, mr mikes, earls etc no big excitement.
When I want to take my kids out to eat, I go somewhere family friendly.
If I want to go out with adults and have adult conversation and not have to listen to kids screaming or running around, I go to the pub.
Why on earth do children have to be welcomed at a pub?
I agree with not-so-random – there is no appeal to me to go to a pub if children are welcomed. The only reason I go now, is to get away with grown ups.
“Can you define family friendly. If the Croft offers free teddy bears at the shows, would that be defined family friendly? “
Don’t they already have teddy’s in there?
;-)
(My apologies, I simply could not resist that one.)
Old English pubs are eons ahead of us. In the old days anyway. You could even bring yer dog in. But hey. That’s different. Some or most people hate change. Right? Ergo, the post office.
A really tall “high chair” at the bar?
They already allow rednecks in bars. How much worse could kids make it?
People#1 maybe you weren’t around when they asked for input on changes to the liquor laws, or they didn’t take yours.
Not-so-random don’t worry, they will only be allowed in for lunch and dinner time
I feel so much better now knowing that children will only be at the pub during prime time. Thanks for that.
Now if they would only lower the legal driving age to 9 or 10 then your young ones could be your DD. Nothing like going out with your little ones and enjoying a plate of nachos and hot wings while downing a pitcher of beer and not having to worry about driving home. More guys would want to babysit their kids. “Don’t worry hun, I got the kids today, just going out for lunch. You should head to the spa”.
Too funny moose! But somehow right in the ball park.
Anyone else think Johnny Belt and slinky are one in the same? They are both obsessed with me and have similar comment styles.
Pubs aren’t being forced to allow kids in their establishments. There will be some rules that limit when children are allowed in to eat.
If you don’t want your children exposed to drinking, then don’t bring them to a pub.
People can already go to a family restaurant and get drunk with their kids and enjoy some nachos.
I can see some local pub owners being upset about the other change allowing restaurants to serve alcohol without the purchase of food.
Self-absorbed much?????
lol weaksauce. No kidding.
Kids in pubs a Pub is a Bar, one pint can get you nailed for 0.3 so now the kids on the side of the road with mom or dad or both. This is just a bad idea all the way around. We bring in tuff drinking driving laws then in courage or at least make it more dangerous for kids. Yes some people will be responsible but others not so much. Its wrong people just wrong and its the kids that will pay the price in the end.
They are starting to notice the destructive toll on the service industry with these tougher new D&D laws. This is an effort to recover that industry but not admit they were wrong to enforce to any degree the 0.03 limit and extreme penalties for marginal impairment.
Don’t bother quibbling about marginal impairment.
It’s the repeat offender and the ones that manage to always avoid getting caught that are the problem. It is not the family having a glass of wine with dinner.
Ah weaksauce and JB you remind us all why we need Preparation H⦠to deal with one flaming a_ _hole after another.
Actually now that I read my own comment, I shouldn’t have posted it, moderator if you could delete it please?
I am 100% supportive of these changes!
That was a real slap shot P 1.
Steph99″Kids in pubs a Pub is a Bar, one pint can get you nailed for 0.3 so now the kids on the side of the road with mom or dad or both.”
Uh..No person who goes to a pub for dinner is being force fed alcohol. Sometimes a person feels like pub food without having to imbibe, be nice to take my teenage daughter to a pub & enjoy a nice dinner. Besides, she could probably out party me any day of the week ;)
Why do you not want everyone to see your true colours, People#1?
Not obsessed, just the first comment on the story was about putting “families first”. My comment was perhaps you didn’t realize that this is part of the changes to the liquor laws that there was a call for public input. By the sounds of your comment you did not supply the government with any input. This is not part of the platform of putting families first in BC but allowing pubs to serve dinner to a family. Has nothing to do with child poverty, Harper, or big oil.
Can someone fill me in on .03? I thought the new rules were .05 and .08, did I miss a new law that got passed?
P1, what color is the sky in your world?
nutbar.
Been out of town working! Just got home and look what I’ve been missing! Ok, People#1, admit it, you’ve missed me. Now you can start picking on me too!
People is so self absorbed that he hasnt figured out there are only two types of posters on here. Those that poke him to wind him up and watch him go and those that completely ignore him. Neither care what he actually has to say though.
On topic, the market will adjust itself if we dont over regulate. If enough people want pubs without children then someone will cater to that market. If people like taking their kids to a pub then others will cater to that. Either way both the pubs and the people have a choice without the government telling them what they have to do. Just IMO of course.
The “families first” part of my comment was “sarcasm” slinky, look the word up in the dictionary to find it’s meaning.
As for letting underage kids into pubs and bars with their parent(s), now that’s a nut bar idea, maybe this government will pass a bylaw making alcohol available at AA meetings!
The point about not having alcohol and just eating there is weak. Whether you drink or not, you will be exposing your kids to inebriated people and their unusual behaviours associated with loss of inhibitions.
I also agree with the comments about having a place just for adults, where they can get away. Lots of good arguments for keeping kids out, not very many for letting them into pubs and bars.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/flying-chair-hits-child-in-pub-brawl-20091023-hd0n.html
“100 years is a long time to wait to update your liquor laws.” Seems to me a major update was done in 86 during expo when vanderzalm changed the law to allow the selling of alcohol on sundays. Then there was a change that allowed cold beer and wine stores to sell after hours and on sunday. Know your history before you quote it, Christy.
Just Christy being a Liebral.
Changing the topic a bit. They have shut off the comments section where this would apply. People#1, check out this website
http://energyalternatives.ca/shop/index.asp?CartId={A7016EC0-C968-492B-8AAA-60EVEREST7A334FBBD4}&url=IND . Buy Canadian and they have a lot of knowledge in all forms of off grid systems, not just solar. As for someones comment on the other thread about checking out the people at norman lake if you want to know about maintenance issues, well all I can say to that is I know people who have had off grid systems and other than basic maintenance have had no major problems for 10 years or better.
For what it’s worth, News1130 has an online pole, asking if kids should be permitted in pubs. So far 65% are saying NO. Not scientific but interesting.
Makes me wonder who the Fiberals are making this change for, if that pole is any sort of indication of the general public’s feelings towards this change.
“Whether you drink or not, you will be exposing your kids to inebriated people”
I cannot remember being in a pub or restaurant and having anyone who is inebriated around me at breakfast, lunch or dinner time.
If one wants to see some of those, one might want to stay stick around till the after 10pm or so time when karaoke starts.
As far as I can tell, the intent is to have underage patrons removed from the premises.
Anyone who has a problem with this should stay home and keep their kids in a bubble…..
I wonder what the law will say about minors working in pubs.
Oregon law restricts areas where minors are allowed to sit – not at bars for instance. Minors are allowed to work in liquor primary facilities. They can serve alcohol but cannot hang around the bar except to place an order and pick it up to serve it. Minors under Oregon law are those who are 18 or older but under 21. One has to be 21 to be allowed to drink in a public place.
Looks like the BC law will bring the law a bit closer to Oregon’s but with fewer restrictions. I think it is about time. This is not Utah or Orange County, CA.
A while ago there was a big kerfuffle about moms breastfeeding in public at the Pine Centre Mall, lets try this with our babies at your local pubs and bars with a bunch of drunk men watching.
Spending time in europe as a kid it wasnt uncommon to stop for lunch in the pubs. Thats where the community got together. Why does it have to looked down upon? Are you going to bash church next because of the wine at the alter? Maybe we can start relying on parents to make the right decisions instead of the government.
If you’re not going to employ common sense, no government or law or set of regulations is going to save you.
P1 – Have you ever been to say the BX for lunch? Before you go all holier than thou on everyone actually check it out and look around for all those inebriated people.
Most people don’t even know what is happening (unless they make a public display of it) when a woman breast feeds properly in public but nice try at a deflection, you going to have organize ‘feed in’ at a pub?
Huh – one change to a statute is not what we are talking here, this is a major revamp of all the liquor laws. There was a call for comments and suggestions a few weeks ago, did you participate?
The key here is that you are not forced to go have lunch with your kids at a pub, but you have that option if you so chose which in the past you did not.
A lot of people are uncomfortable with change. The phrase “force of habit” ring a bell?
Comments for this article are closed.