There is quite the alcohol-related hullabaloo raised every summer and holiday season in Ontario due to what many consider to be "unfair practices". In order to create a genesis of discussion on the various alcohol-related issues, I will give my take on some of the annual issues. Here goes:
Liquor laws for parks, beaches and other outdoor sites need to be relaxed somewhat. The rules about drinking at outdoor venues have been softened in the past 10 months, but are still a bit too draconian and limiting for my liking. Right now, except for a bit more lenience at outdoor festivals, you can only drink in parks and beaches if there is a roped-off beer tent. Those places get very crowded very fast and don't allow responsible adults the freedom to sit/walk on the beach sipping a drink and don't allow people to relax in their local park with a beer. I
t's true that if there was more freedom to drink in a park or on a beach, there would need to be security around to enforce public intoxication laws, just like in a bar, and that the drinks would have to be kept away from children and teenagers. On the other hand, responsible adults who want to have a drink and enjoy a day on the beach should be allowed, as long as they don't get carried away or drive drunk. I see no harm in that. That is legal in most other countries in the world and works for them. Why not here? Ontarians can drink on campsites, so why not open it up to a few more places?
Secondly, the government should not sell off the LCBO, as it brings in way too much revenue for the province. The link below illustrates the amount of revenue, before taxes, that the LCBO generated for the province between August 2010-August 2011.
http://www.lcbo.com/aboutlcbo/media_centre/quick_facts.shtml
The LCBO gave 1.55 billion dollars in net revenue to the government BEFORE TAXES were added last year. That is a hell of a lot of money that couldn't be made up by other funding sources, money which is needed to fund infrastructure programs all over the province. Yes, it's true that there would be a ginormous one-time payment to the Ontario government if McGuinty and friends did sell off the LCBO to private investors, but that's just the problem. It would be a one-time deal and that income would be sorely missed the next year. That's too many dollar bills to throw away every year to sell off the LCBO.
Finally, it is better, in my opinion, to have alcohol controlled in LCBOs and Beer Stores than to allow it to be sold in convenience stores and the like. It would just be too easy for people who are under age to get alcohol if it were sold in convenience and grocery stores. Cigarettes already get into the hands of minors too easily, and who is to say it wouldn't be the same with alcohol?
Advocates of looser alcohol laws also say that liquor prices would drop if alcohol were sold at Mac's and Beckers, but then again there is a higher risk of it getting into the wrong hands and the government would lose over a billion dollars annually on the sale of alcohol.
Right now the province controls alcohol sales and receives 100 % of the profit from it. That same government is also responsible for checking ID's at liquor and beer stores to make sure minors don't get drinks. The government can't afford to lose that revenue stream and we also need someone at least trying to ensure that only responsible adults get access to beer, wine and spirits etc.
OK, your turn. Shoot.
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