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Patio liquor licences - 30-day wait - not for Elvis?
17 July 2010
I was more than a little surprised on Monday to hear Councillor Jeffrey comment that, if restaurant owners put their application in right away, they were very likely to get liquor licences from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) in time for the Elvis Festival, next weekend. Assuming, that is, they wanted to move, or could afford the curbside patio (so far, none have done so).
Surprised because that festival was less than two weeks away from her announcement. AGCO licences usually take at least 30 days to process, usually much longer. Yet she made that announcement July 12, and she had received an email from the BIA, on July 7 that said in part:
"I understand that it is a new licence that would be required and that it would involve a notice period – I believe that would be at least 30 days. There is the possibility for Elvis that they could apply for a temporary extension of their existing permit, similar to what the Post and Tesoro do. We may be past the time for this application as well.
Bottom line is that they are probably at least 30 days from approval – unless Peter may be aware of any fast tracking that might be possible, seeing as these are established restaurants with existing permanent licensing in place."
That email or the 30-day approval time were never mentioned in her comments at council, last Monday.
The AGCO's website notes that special occasion permits must be applied for 30 days in advance, unless held indoors:
The AGCO is also responsible for overseeing the administration of Special Occasion Permits (SOPs). SOPs are required for occasional events such as weddings and receptions where beverage alcohol will be served and/or sold. Permit applications must be submitted to a Liquor Control Board of Ontario permit-issuing store 30 days before the event takes place; except for indoor reception events that only require 10 days.
But if this is a new licence, as the BIA suggests, SOP would not apply and a new licence - with its requirement of public notice and a chance to object - would apply.
Smart Serve also notes that a new licence (which the curbside patios seem to require) takes much longer to process:
Anyone who wants a Liquor Sales Licence must apply to the Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The application process takes a minimum of six to eight weeks, and may be longer if there is a public objection to the licence.
Six weeks? Eight weeks? That's the end of summer. I can't see the AGCO changing its rules to benefit the Elvis Festival. That could violate the legislation and would create a precedent for the province. But maybe she knows something the rest of us don't about how the AGCO operates.
Previously, Councilor Jeffrey publicly assured council and the public during the debate on patios that the AGCO would not enforce its rules about alcohol being carried across a public space from restaurant to curbside patio. That has since proven to be incorrect. I suspect this announcement will prove equally erroneous.
Meanwhile, here is what the downtown looked like today (a beautiful Saturday afternoon in mid-July) without the patios and the happy customers they could have served:
And again today, as we walked through the downtown on our usual Saturday morning trip to the Farmers' Market and the downtown, I heard numerous comments from residents about the negative impact of this bylaw.
Surprised because that festival was less than two weeks away from her announcement. AGCO licences usually take at least 30 days to process, usually much longer. Yet she made that announcement July 12, and she had received an email from the BIA, on July 7 that said in part:
"I understand that it is a new licence that would be required and that it would involve a notice period – I believe that would be at least 30 days. There is the possibility for Elvis that they could apply for a temporary extension of their existing permit, similar to what the Post and Tesoro do. We may be past the time for this application as well.
Bottom line is that they are probably at least 30 days from approval – unless Peter may be aware of any fast tracking that might be possible, seeing as these are established restaurants with existing permanent licensing in place."
That email or the 30-day approval time were never mentioned in her comments at council, last Monday.
The AGCO's website notes that special occasion permits must be applied for 30 days in advance, unless held indoors:
The AGCO is also responsible for overseeing the administration of Special Occasion Permits (SOPs). SOPs are required for occasional events such as weddings and receptions where beverage alcohol will be served and/or sold. Permit applications must be submitted to a Liquor Control Board of Ontario permit-issuing store 30 days before the event takes place; except for indoor reception events that only require 10 days.
But if this is a new licence, as the BIA suggests, SOP would not apply and a new licence - with its requirement of public notice and a chance to object - would apply.
Smart Serve also notes that a new licence (which the curbside patios seem to require) takes much longer to process:
Anyone who wants a Liquor Sales Licence must apply to the Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The application process takes a minimum of six to eight weeks, and may be longer if there is a public objection to the licence.
Six weeks? Eight weeks? That's the end of summer. I can't see the AGCO changing its rules to benefit the Elvis Festival. That could violate the legislation and would create a precedent for the province. But maybe she knows something the rest of us don't about how the AGCO operates.
Previously, Councilor Jeffrey publicly assured council and the public during the debate on patios that the AGCO would not enforce its rules about alcohol being carried across a public space from restaurant to curbside patio. That has since proven to be incorrect. I suspect this announcement will prove equally erroneous.
Meanwhile, here is what the downtown looked like today (a beautiful Saturday afternoon in mid-July) without the patios and the happy customers they could have served:
And again today, as we walked through the downtown on our usual Saturday morning trip to the Farmers' Market and the downtown, I heard numerous comments from residents about the negative impact of this bylaw.
I'm sad that we will get a better council at the expense of restaurant owners and their staff.
I hope we get at least one Ian, possibly two, at the table!!!