Booze laws not bringing much change to Langara campus
British Columbia’s liquor laws are changing, so what will that mean for Langara students? Not much it seems.
Justice Minister Suzanne Anton announced earlier this year that the government would be implementing all 73 recommendations included in a report that will overhaul provincial liquor laws.
She did not set a date when the changes would be implemented.
The changes are broad, but there are a few sections that may be interesting to Langara students.
Recommendation 16 allows liquor license holders to offer time-limited drink specials, also known as happy hours, as long as the price is not below a “prescribed minimum consistent with those advocated by health advocates.”
This could be huge for Langara students who otherwise patronize a campus pub that does not offer deals on alcoholic beverages.
Nam Yoo, owner of the LSU Café, said he would probably not offer a happy hour special because he doesn’t want to encourage excessive drinking on campus.
“Honestly, I trust people to have one or two bottles or pints of beer. I don’t want them drinking excessively in here,” he said.
According to director of facilities, Wendy Lannard, last year campus security responded to zero incidents originating from the LSU Café.
“Langara has had no issues involving people drinking too much on campus,” she said in an email.
Recommendation 43 streamlines the application process for special occasion licenses by bringing in online applications.
This means it would be easier for groups on campus to have licensed events similar to UBC’s Block Party, or to raise money for charity.
Ed Hensley, secretary to council for the Langara Students’ Union, said the LSU does not currently have an official position yet because the issue has not yet been raised before council.
“Risk and mitigation of risk [to students] will be a major aspect of any changes to the availability of liquor on campus,” he said.
He added that the LSU doesn’t typically focus on having alcohol available for events on campus.
Langara criminal justice student, Devin Burton, said she would “definitely go to the campus pub if they had a happy hour,” adding that she has not been there yet this year.
Read the report in full:
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