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Victoria considers drink levy to help pay for policing

Victoria councillors will consider a per-drink tax to offset increased policing costs resulting from the province’s loosening of liquor policies. Coun. Ben Isitt said he could support a levy in the range of five cents a drink.
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Recent research has over-estimated the health benefits of alcohol.

Victoria councillors will consider a per-drink tax to offset increased policing costs resulting from the province’s loosening of liquor policies.

Coun. Ben Isitt said he could support a levy in the range of five cents a drink.

Council will also ask the province to consider increasing liquor licensing enforcement and the number of liquor inspectors, as well as transferring liquor licensing fines to the city and boosting funding for alcohol and addictions treatment.

A revamp of B.C. liquor laws will bring several changes in 2015, including:

  • permitting the sale of alcohol in grocery stores
  • allowing minors into pubs and bars with parents during certain hours
  • allowing permanent off-site tasting rooms for local manufacturers
  • loosening drinking rules at public events.

Councillors expressed concerns about policing costs associated with the high number of licensed seats downtown, especially since there are only two provincial liquor inspectors on south Vancouver Island.

“We add more policing at night on weekends to deal with alcohol-related issues, and I think there needs to be consideration for local governments to be able to receive some of the funds that’s maybe coming in from the sale of alcohol to be able to keep their community safe,” said Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe.

Coun. Pam Madoff agreed. “The impact it has on our policing costs is phenomenal and that message has to go back. We’re already at an unsustainable level when it comes to funding for policing, and this has the potential only to make it worse if we don’t really, really increase the inspection process.”

Madoff, Thornton-Joe and Coun. Shellie Gudgeon all said easier access to liquor is supportable only if it is tied to improvements in addiction services.

One change would allow restaurants with food-primary liquor licences to switch to liquor-primary establishments after a certain hour — essentially becoming a nightclub. “The cost to that is just frightening,” Gudgeon said. “If every struggling restaurant in Victoria is allowed to move from food primary to liquor primary after a certain time, we’ve just become party central downtown.”

The discussion came after councillors heard from Douglas Scott, assistant deputy minister and general manager of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, on pending changes stemming from B.C.’s recent liquor policy review.

Scott said licensing changes would follow the same process as a liquor- licensing approval does now — including local government input. “Just to be clear, it’s not a blanket after 9 o’clock you can be a nightclub,” he said.

Gudgeon said the province is benefiting financially from liquor sales “and yet they’re downloading the responsibility to the local government. I think it’s a huge issue.”

Councillors asked staff to report back on the idea of a per-drink levy. Mayor Dean Fortin said that, due to legal ramifications, the report likely will have to be presented in-camera.

In 2007, the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. recommended a provincewide nickel-a- drink tax be implemented to generate an estimated $95.7 million for addictions treatment and prevention.

bcleverley@timescolonist.com