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A Southern Alberta town that has historically been known to be a dry community for over a century has amended a bylaw around its liquor licensing.
On Tuesday, Cardston Town Council passed the amendment 5-2, allowing for class A and class B liquor licences.
Under a class A licence, sit-down restaurants primarily serving food can offer liquor sales, but it does not include the off-sale of alcohol in to-go orders.
A class B liquor licence applies to recreational facilities, which would mainly apply to the golf course and Agridome.
The bylaw would still prohibit lounges, beverage rooms, nightclubs, and liquor stores anywhere in town.
Before a business can get a liquor licence, it must first secure all other permissions, including development approval, and business licensing.
If a business is in direct violation of the conditions in place, not only will its liquor licence be revoked by the AGLC, but the town can also revoke its business licence.
According to Cardston council, the decision to make the amendment on the land use bylaw was not an easy one as councillors had much to take into consideration.
On May 29, the same day as the provincial election, the town held a Vote of Electors, asking residents about the potential passing of Bylaw 1647K, allowing limited liquor sales in town.
In total, 925 eligible voters cast a non-binding vote to help the council understand how the community felt about the proposed change.
Overall, 494 people (53 per cent) were in favour of the amendment allowing limited liquor sales, whereas 431 people (47 per cent) were against the proposal.
On June 27, a public hearing was held but three members of council were unable to attend the meeting, which halted any motion on the bylaw.
On Tuesday, dozens of residents attended the second public hearing, voicing support and disapproval of the amendment. All councillors were in attendance, allowing for the second and third readings to go ahead.
Council took both the non-binding vote and vocal submissions into consideration, but ultimately, in a 5-2 vote, decided to move forward with the amendment.
It’s believed the change will benefit local businesses, provide more choice to those in town, and create a more inclusive community.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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