Prince Albert mayor looks to curb alcohol abuse

With high rates of public intoxication in Prince Albert, the city's new mayor is looking to local business owners to help come up with a tailor-made solution.

Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne says he will canvas local bar owners and liquor vendors during the next few weeks to try to come up with a plan to curb alcohol abuse in the city. Public drunkenness is common in Prince Albert and the issue continues to put a strain on local services.

Dionne said he plans to talk to local business owners about ways to limit the amount of hard alcohol available, especially after hours. He is hoping to see local off-sale outlets close one hour before bars to ensure patrons cannot continue to drink late into the night.

Dionne will also be asking off-sale outlets to close on holidays such as Easter and Christmas Day.

Prince Albert's police chief supports the idea of an earlier closing time for local off-sale outlets. In a previous interview with The Star-Phoenix, Chief Troy Cooper said moving the closing time up from 3 a.m. would help alleviate some of the issues local officers face due to al-ohol abuse in the city.

More than 40 per cent of police arrests each year are related to public intoxication, Cooper said recently.

The answer to alcohol issues is not police. It's a social issue," Dionne said.

"I'm trying to stop the flow of alcohol (and) I would sooner have us do it as a community than be forceful."

At a recent meeting of city council, Dionne warned councillors they could face pressure from local business owners not to reduce hours, but urged them to consider the needs of the community as a whole. He said the cost to treat and care for those with severe alcohol addictions is too high to ignore.

"It's not that I want to attack the three or four or five businesses that we have," he said. "It's a revenue issue, but how much of that revenue are we taking and putting into addiction issues?"

Don Cody, Ward 4 city councillor, isn't sure reducing off-sale hours is a good idea.

"I think certainly a discussion needs to be held," he said of the city's high intoxication rates.

"We do have to consult (but) they (business owners) have to make their living and I'm not going to interfere with that."

Dan Dobratz, who owns the Prince Albert Brewing Company, which has an off-sale outlet, also questions Dionne's idea and says earlier off-sale hours will only lead to less revenue and job cuts. Closing off-sale outlets before bars will not stop people from buying more liquor, he said.

Dobratz would like to see a more targeted approach to deal with specific areas around the city where alcohol issues are more prevalent. He said changing the rules for the entire city is a simple fix that won't last.

Patrons can easily buy liquor before the off-sale closes and save it for later, Dobratz added.

"It's not going to make a difference," he said.

"It'll just bring out the bootleggers and they're just going to get back in business."

The province announced changes to liquor laws in November. The changes are not expected to be passed until the spring but would give business operators the ability to serve alcohol at venues such as salons, spas and movie theatres. Restaurants would also be able to offer off-sale services.

"The changes themselves are focused on reducing red tape," said David Morris with the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority.

"It's not meant as a revenue generating thing at all ... we just wanted to modernize them."

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F281/~3/omZaPfCnjy0/story.html

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