Vancouver becoming the no-fun city again???

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by quobobo

This city could be so great if it wasn't for all the dumb bylaws...

***NO F*CKING KIDDING****

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by jlousa

You do realize the polictians are doing this because it is want the general public wants. I don't agree with all of it either but I can understand why they're doing it. The fact is these young people you speak of are a vast minority most of which do not even vote.

What we're seeing is the unwanted side effect of modern technology and health care prolonging people's life spans. It makes you yearn for the days when people died at around 50, before they got too old to handle a little noise and activity.

Didn't these old baby boomers party it up late into the night at Woodstock and after every Beatles and Elvis concert back in the day?

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Any nearby islands looking for a bit of late-night debauchery and gambling?

I think Richmond (Lulu Island) has this pretty well covered off already, with its two casinos (Starlight technically on the Island, although in Queensborough) and it's abundance of brothels.

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by djh

All this will do is encourage people to open more illegal after-hours. Does the city really think by legislating fun that people will just stop having fun when it's out of hours?
Oh, and the other side-effect will be that loads of bars and clubs will go bankrupt because they can't make enough money from opening time until midnight to cover their costs. Or they will charge entry fees to bars and hike the price of meals and drinks.

You are right on all accounts. All this will do, is take the partying underground. In the 80's and 90's illegal after-hours were a dime a dozen. I remember it being a ritual of club patrons asking staff where the that weeks spot was. Then you had the police allocating resources to shutting them down (keeping them from doing...other..MORE IMPORTANT things) Both alcohol and drugs flowed freely and unregulated at these places. Organized crime had a field day with these and made a ton of money.

Then something magical happened. The city moved into the 21st century and extended bar hours. Almost immediately, these type of places disappeared because they were simply not needed.

You are also correct that this will put many bars/lounges out of business and will force those who remain to jack up all prices (because their landlords also read the paper and once they realize the leverage they have, they jack up the rents); and guess who those extra cost will get passed on to...

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by sono65

How do we change this? Are these bureaucrats people we can vote in and out? Can we get a petition going? Surely the majority of young people in this city won't stand for this. What's next, curfews?

Yes this November. Vote them out. Include the lovely mayor of Vancouver whose ego is the size of China's pollution problem.

It's called a quick fix unfortunately and they are knee-jerk reacting to crime issues that are a direct result of lack of police resources and a demoralized police force held at gun point due to the justice system.

[GMasterAres]

Originally Posted by EastVanMark

You are right on all accounts. All this will do, is take the partying underground. In the 80's and 90's illegal after-hours were a dime a dozen. I remember it being a ritual of club patrons asking staff where the that weeks spot was. Then you had the police allocating resources to shutting them down (keeping them from doing...other..MORE IMPORTANT things) Both alcohol and drugs flowed freely and unregulated at these places. Organized crime had a field day with these and made a ton of money.

Then something magical happened. The city moved into the 21st century and extended bar hours. Almost immediately, these type of places disappeared because they were simply not needed.

You are also correct that this will put many bars/lounges out of business and will force those who remain to jack up all prices (because their landlords also read the paper and once they realize the leverage they have, they jack up the rents); and guess who those extra cost will get passed on to...

I would imagine you're going to see a shift over the next 10-20 years where bars and entertainment districts move away from Vancouver downtown due to the laws and regulations being put into use. If the surrounding cities were smart, they'd get their policing and enforcement up to a good standard, then invite the entertainment hospitality business group to their city and take a large chunk of money away from Vancouver council.

I could see a push for something of the sort to be part of the master plan of a new downtown in Surrey central, and most of us living in the area are already used to high crime so we may aswell get some drunken fun out of it for once. Oh wait...

[vanman]

^I've always thought that 3 block or so strip in Metrotown along Kingsway would make a perfect Entertainment District for Burnaby. Not many neighbors around aside from a few condo towers, close to transportation, and it would be more central to the region than downtown Van.

[zivan56]

In Europe (parts that I've been to) during the summer, most younger people go out from around 12am-1am to 3am. Most of the clubs are located near the city centres and are open to at least 2am or so (depending where). I've yet to see a fight and an unfriendly environment like Granville Street over there, not that there aren't fights and whatnot...but Vancouver is really a joke compared to other places. Personally, I haven't been to a bar on Granville for years, as all the hicks go there....Yaletown is decent, but severely overpriced and filled with yuppie posers. Overall, it's pretty sad compared to other cities in the world.

[agrant]

Not much else to add. There is clearly a demand for late night fun. I fail to see why there isn't at least another zone for this. Every neighborhood should have something. People should prepare to hear more yahoos randomly yelling and screaming at a late night neighborhood party, since that's the only place to go. Just seems like an ill informed decision.

[Nutterbug]

It seems to me that the effort should go towards coming down harder on the individual troublemakers responsible for the problems, such as increasing fines and jail time for those who rowdy it up and maybe even ban them from the premises, than shutting them down early, punishing all the legitimate and civilized patrons, and killing all the businesses that cater to them.

[mr.x]

wtf? midnight???? whose idea was this?


this city is becoming a complete joke.

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

It seems to me that the effort should go towards coming down harder on the individual troublemakers responsible for the problems, such as increasing fines and jail time for those who rowdy it up and maybe even ban them from the premises, than shutting them down early, punishing all the legitimate and civilized patrons, and killing all the businesses that cater to them.

Absolutely. In other cities, you act like a jackass, you pay the price. In Vancouver, they arrest you drive you to Stanley Park, then drop you off. Jump on the field at a Lions game and again, at worst you get kicked out of the building. In Philadelphia, they had both a jail and a community court in the bowels of their former stadium. Jump on the field there and you are sitting in a jail cell for hours after the game ends and you get out with a court date.

[giallo]

After living in Asia (Taiwan and Shanghai) for the past five years, I can assure you how lame Vancouver looks to an outsider that likes to have fun at night. Being away from Vancouver for so long has afforded me a different perspective on it's nightlife, and it isn't good. In Shanghai I can buy an assortment of wine, spirits and beer 24 hours a day from the corner store. Clubs close when they feel they should as there are no laws saying otherwise. Listening to live jazz at 3am with a bunch of barflys in Shanghai is a unique experience, let me tell ya.
If Shanghai is an unfair comparison due to it's size then I can use Tainan, Taiwan (pop. 1,100,000) as another example. Same thing there. Clubs close when they want. Spirits and beer available at the 7-11 24 hours a day.

My main problem with Vancouver is how it wants to be this premier international tourist city, yet keeps it's restaurants, pubs and bars at arm's length. Travelers want to be able to explore the city in the day and at night. Why limit their experience? It makes no sense.

Whatever, it's Friday, so I'll be getting together with friends, buying our drinks from the neighborhood corner store and then going to see DJ Kentaro play at The Shelter. After he finishes at 4am, we'll go to a favourite 24 hour noodle joint and enjoy a caesers until the sun kisses the sky. I'll enjoy it while it lasts because I'll never have this sort of lifestyle in Vancouver when I move back.

[quobobo]

^^^

So true. A year in Hiroshima made me depressed as hell to come back to Vancouver. Far more relaxed laws regarding entertainment and liquor, a much larger population living downtown (an affordable, dense, very large downtown where people other than "urban professionals" live... thanks, zoning bylaws that allow density and height nearly everywhere in the city!) - both of these make nightlife a hell of a lot more fun.

I don't know why we feel the need for such restrictive planning here. Would things really go to hell if Vancouver let bars decide their own hours?

[baggab]

I find The Province, a joke. This article to me is just sensationalized hear-say.

Name some names or provide some proof. The author doesn't back anything up with any substance and presents the discussion as if it'll pass.

I am glad I don't subscribe to this useless dying medium. I think that's the one thing I like about getting news online more, it's so much easier to sift through.

[Smooth]

Concentrating all of Vancouver's late night clubs in one area is about as effective as concentrating all of Vancouver's social services in one area. We all know how that turned out.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by quobobo

^^^

So true. A year in Hiroshima made me depressed as hell to come back to Vancouver. Far more relaxed laws regarding entertainment and liquor, a much larger population living downtown (an affordable, dense, very large downtown where people other than "urban professionals" live... thanks, zoning bylaws that allow density and height nearly everywhere in the city!) - both of these make nightlife a hell of a lot more fun.

I don't know why we feel the need for such restrictive planning here. Would things really go to hell if Vancouver let bars decide their own hours?

Same goes whenever I come back to Vancouver from Hong Kong.

[Jacques]

I don't know if that law has yet to have taken effect, due that I live right next door to the MODERN Club in Gastown and the noise has not ceased at one Am nor at two Am but at four Am on week-ends and tonite the bitches are out there screaming their stupid howling cat noises again, when I first moved here the club was closed and we were assured it would only open as a high end bar, but it is not, big SUV LIMO and BUS LIMO with BOOM BOX music rattling our walls.
SO for once I couldn't care less if they shut this place down. We paid a lot of money to live in a quiet place, but like everything else this area is ever changing and the hooligans are underneath my loft windows 4 times a weeks.
Let them party if they so wish but let it be in the Entertainment District as per requested.
that's my take, when you have to get up at 8.00 Am its no fun to have those morons making such immature noise til 4AM 4 days out of seven.

[Jacques]

just so everyone knows, In Montreal BARS are open quite late and I used to lived right downtown and never heard raucous noise and ill behaved people as I do HERE, it is such a shame that the laws are not so flexible, that being said if the people that frequent these establishments weren't such immature and filled with such inflated ego's such as to ill behaved as they do, then shut everything down and back to Sunday closure I say, Until BC Boys and Girls know the value of self-respect and respect for others how can anyone else be accommodating.
today drugs booze and rock n roll free for all, not good

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by djh

All this will do is encourage people to open more illegal after-hours. Does the city really think by legislating fun that people will just stop having fun when it's out of hours?
Oh, and the other side-effect will be that loads of bars and clubs will go bankrupt because they can't make enough money from opening time until midnight to cover their costs. Or they will charge entry fees to bars and hike the price of meals and drinks.

Can you imagine what will happen in 2010? It will just excacerbate the stereotype that is out there of Canadians being boring and not knowing how to have fun (I know all of my friends laughed at me when I told them I was moving from London to Canada...they all did the "banjo dance" and called Vancouver the Wild Wild West)

Dont worry all the pubs and clubs will be opened nice and late for the Olympics. Infact I would be suprised if there werent ones open 24/7. But right after that bang back to the old ways. In any case I could care less this just another reason to justify me geting the hell out of this city, personally I cant take it anymore. I feel really really sorry for people who havent lived elsewhere because this is a joke. There should be a number of pubs open 24/7 not closing even earier then the ridiculous times of 2am. Your bound to get a disaster when you kick everyone out of a packed pub club at 2am or even more packed at 12am. On top of that you leave a couple places open till 3am so you can give all these people who are now outside all at the same time the chance to head to Granville where you repeat theprocess of kicking everyone out early. I dont this is really a joke, on top of this their taking out smoking rooms out of pubs and expect everyone to go outside...what a joke, find me one person who has a problem with a smoking room in a pub...or better yet find me a pub with a decent sized smoking room where the number of people in it outnumber the number of people out of it...yes pretty much every pub. But I could care less because im out a here, and I dont want to be called a sell out because unfortunately I know how much better it is elsewhere, I love this city and keep gving it a chance but I feel like im living in a stray jacket and I cant take it anymore.