(Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

By Alison Sandstrom

Liquor retail hours

P.A. council focused on alcohol wording change

Oct 29, 2019 | 2:00 PM

P.A. city councillors lawyers for the city continue to work their way through a process they hope will allow them to limit liquor store hours.

The matter is under provincial jurisdiction, but the city is hoping a small tweak to the laws could grant municipalities the power to set their own hours.

“We’ve suggested a few short words could be added to the regulations that would allow municipalities to clearly legislate in this area,” city solicitor Mitchell Holash told council during a recent meeting.

The city is drafting a resolution on the matter to bring to the February meeting of SUMA, the organization representing Saskatchewan cities.

At the same time, city lawyers are in separate talks directly with the province on the same issue, something Coun. Ted Zurakowski said was important.

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“Certainly, we’re not going to sit on our hands and wait for this resolution to move through the corridors of SUMA,” he told the meeting.

The city is concerned that if it were to restrict hours without the legislation first being changed, it would leave an opening for lawsuits by liquor store operators.

Meanwhile, at least one councillor is concerned that the province should take action to limit hours uniformly across Saskatchewan.

“What if the municipality right next to us which is about five miles from here says we’re going to keep ours open to 3 a.m.?” Coun. Don Cody said. “What do we do to our people here? That’s not right.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom