Booze in Canada: Laws and Culture

[The Gibbroni]

Originally Posted by niwell

I guess all the Montreal drinking opportunities that aren't here get in the way.

Well.. if you're hitting the internet at 2:30 am on a Saturday night then I guess you're right!

[niwell]

Originally Posted by The Gibbroni

Well.. if you're hitting the internet at 2:30 am on a Saturday night then I guess you're right!

I spent most of the day playing bocce ball at Trinity Bellwoods park with a beer in hand followed by a patio - it was about time to get home before it got too late. Wanted to catch some of the events for doors open early the next day you know.

[The Gibbroni]

Originally Posted by niwell

I spent most of the day playing bocce ball at Trinity Bellwoods park with a beer in hand followed by a patio - it was about time to get home before it got too late. Wanted to catch some of the events for doors open early the next day you know.

You're so uuuuuuurban! (hope you hid the beer like a high school kid)

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by The Gibbroni

You're so uuuuuuurban! (hope you hid the beer like a high school kid)

What's funny is that for all your talk of Quebec being some sort of alcohol paradise, public drinking isn't even truly legal there (its okay under certain limited curcumstances, otherwise its TOLERATED, kind of like how it is in - surprise, surprise - Toronto). Oh, but bars serve a whole hour later than they do here!

Of course, I'm well aware that for you its really just an issue with Toronto moreso than the law itself, being that you've expressed admiration for all sorts of other places with similar alcohol laws. Public drinking is (technically) illegal in the entirety of the US and Canada, Australia, and even some European countries like Spain and Scotland (as for the rest of the world, well, we already know how you feel about "third world people" so I suppose it doesn't matter). Its kinda like the overhead wire thing or condo development. Its only bad when its in Toronto.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

What's funny is that for all your talk of Quebec being some sort of alcohol paradise, public drinking isn't even truly legal there (its okay under certain limited curcumstances, otherwise its TOLERATED, kind of like how it is in - surprise, surprise - Toronto). Oh, but bars serve a whole hour later than they do here!

Of course, I'm well aware that for you its really just an issue with Toronto moreso than the law itself, being that you've expressed admiration for all sorts of other places with similar alcohol laws. Public drinking is (technically) illegal in the entirety of the US and Canada, Australia, and even some European countries like Spain and Scotland (as for the rest of the world, well, we already know how you feel about "third world people" so I suppose it doesn't matter). Its kinda like the overhead wire thing or condo development. Its only bad when its in Toronto.

Not sure if this is a good or bad thing but my experience has been that public drinking is more tolerated by the police in Quebec than in, say, Ontario.

[The Gibbroni]

[QUOTE=MonkeyRonin;5716395]

What's funny is that for all your talk of Quebec being some sort of alcohol paradise, public drinking isn't even truly legal there (its okay under certain limited curcumstances, otherwise its TOLERATED, kind of like how it is in - surprise, surprise - Toronto). Oh, but bars serve a whole hour later than they do here!

There's a lot more to it than simply bar hours. What about public squares, parks, festivals, concerts, parades, patios, street parties and public events/spaces in general? What about the level of tolerance? You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

being that you've expressed admiration for all sorts of other places

Only places that I have personally visited or lived in. There's only so much you can learn on the internet and it's idiotic to act like a know-it-all on places that you've never experienced in person - and for more than just a couple of days or a drive through.

we already know how you feel about "third world people"

Really? You do, do you? Why don't you tell me how I feel about third world people, I'm dying to find out.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by The Gibbroni

There's a lot more to it than simply bar hours. What about public squares, parks, festivals, concerts, parades, patios, street parties and public events/spaces in general? What about the level of tolerance? You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

Here are the major differences in alcohol laws between Quebec and Ontario:

a. bars can serve until 3 am in Quebec; in Ontario its 2 am, or 4 am during special events.
b. corner stores in Quebec can sell beer & wine; in Ontario they cannot.
c. stores have to stop the sale of alcohol at 11 pm in Quebec; 10 pm in Ontario.
d. drinking age in Quebec is 18; drinking age in Ontario is 19
e. in some situations you can sorta-legally drink in public in Quebec (such as in a public park with a meal); there are no such situations in Ontario.

(wow! Its practically like comparing Berlin to Saudi Arabia, isn't it!)

Only places that I have personally visited or lived in. There's only so much you can learn on the internet and it's idiotic to act like a know-it-all on places that you've never experienced in person - and for more than just a couple of days or a drive through.

Nice comment (you drunk right now?), but completely missed the point.

Really? You do, do you? Why don't you tell me how I feel about third world people, I'm dying to find out.

Don't play dumb. But I'm not about to go sifting through your old habfanman posts looking for the comments in question.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Here are the major differences in alcohol laws between Quebec and Ontario:

a. bars can serve until 3 am in Quebec; in Ontario its 2 am, or 4 am during special events.
b. corner stores in Quebec can sell beer & wine; in Ontario they cannot.
c. stores have to stop the sale of alcohol at 11 pm in Quebec; 10 pm in Ontario.
d. drinking age in Quebec is 18; drinking age in Ontario is 19
e. in some situations you can sorta-legally drink in public in Quebec (such as in a public park with a meal); there are no such situations in Ontario.

To add to this I'm pretty sure (c.) isn't the case as many wine rack locations sell until 11pm mon-fri. Not sure if any LCBO outlets have followed suit.

And while drinking in public is definitely illegal here there are many parks which it is more than tolerated, Trinity Bellwoods in Toronto being a good example. Go any weekend day in the summer and it's hard not to see people drinking. The police don't do anything as long as you aren't making a scene or look like a crust punk.

Ontario also has done away with the laws surrounding closed off alcohol areas in festivals (beer gardens) though they seem to still exist for now. I expect this to change in the future though.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by niwell

Ontario also has done away with the laws surrounding closed off alcohol areas in festivals (beer gardens) though they seem to still exist for now. I expect this to change in the future though.

According to a couple people I know involved in some festivals here this summer, they're already gone.

[DrJoe]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

b. corner stores in Quebec can sell beer & wine; in Ontario they cannot.

Corner stores in Ontario can and do sell beer and wine. It just depends on location. Rural Ontario is filled with them. They are just convenience stores integrated with LCBO or The Beer Store. Obviously they would have to apply for a license but after that they just stick an LCBO sign on the store and away you go...nothing special about them, just like buying anything else at a convenience store.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/aiw/3261686716/

[toaster]

Originally Posted by DrJoe

Corner stores in Ontario can and do sell beer and wine. It just depends on location. Rural Ontario is filled with them. They are just convenience stores integrated with LCBO or The Beer Store. Obviously they would have to apply for a license but after that they just stick an LCBO sign on the store and away you go...nothing special about them, just like buying anything else at a convenience store.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/aiw/3261686716/

Yeah, but that is the exception. You find those in areas that couldn't support a stand-alone LCBO and/or Beer Store, and the Ontairo Government can't just deny that "service" to rural customers. In Quebec, it's the norm. Stop trying to equate the two, because they are not the same.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Here are the major differences in alcohol laws between Quebec and Ontario:

a. bars can serve until 3 am in Quebec; in Ontario its 2 am, or 4 am during special events.
b. corner stores in Quebec can sell beer & wine; in Ontario they cannot.
c. stores have to stop the sale of alcohol at 11 pm in Quebec; 10 pm in Ontario.
d. drinking age in Quebec is 18; drinking age in Ontario is 19
e. in some situations you can sorta-legally drink in public in Quebec (such as in a public park with a meal); there are no such situations in Ontario.

(wow! Its practically like comparing Berlin to Saudi Arabia, isn't it!)

The laws look similar on paper but there are some real differences in every day life.

First of all, the selected private vendors that have beer and wine in Ontario are very small in number when you compare to the fact that every single corner and grocery store in Quebec sells beer and wine.

If you just look at opposite sides of the Ottawa River, with the Ottawa suburb of Orleans and the former (pre-merger) city of Gatineau. Both have populations of about 110,000. There are probably 60 places in Gatineau where you can buy beer and wine, and probably less than 10 (maybe even 5) in Orleans.

As for the wine vendors (selling Ontario wines) in grocery stores, in theory I guess they can stay open later until 11 but for that the grocery store has to be open until that time as well.

Also, the drinking age in my experience is applied much more softly in Quebec, and basically if you look like you are about 16 you can get into bars fairly easily without any problems. I know that people do "slip through" in Ontario - I did as a young person growing up there - but things tend to be stricter there for sure.

I realize that people are defensive about Ontario being labelled at tightwad province by Gibbroni, but seriously having a more relaxed attitude to alcohol is not necessarily a good or a bad thing. It's just different.

[DrJoe]

Originally Posted by toaster

Yeah, but that is the exception. You find those in areas that couldn't support a stand-alone LCBO and/or Beer Store, and the Ontairo Government can't just deny that "service" to rural customers. In Quebec, it's the norm. Stop trying to equate the two, because they are not the same.

The exception to what exactly? In rural Ontario which is sizable in both area and population they are the norm.

Also I don't see how they can't be equated. If you live in these areas you can go down to the corner store and buy alcohol exactly the same way as someone in Quebec could.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by Acajack

If you just look at opposite sides of the Ottawa River, with the Ottawa suburb of Orleans and the former (pre-merger) city of Gatineau. Both have populations of about 110,000. There are probably 60 places in Gatineau where you can buy beer and wine, and probably less than 10 (maybe even 5) in Orleans.

As for the wine vendors (selling Ontario wines) in grocery stores, in theory I guess they can stay open later until 11 but for that the grocery store has to be open until that time as well.

Also, the drinking age in my experience is applied much more softly in Quebec, and basically if you look like you are about 16 you can get into bars fairly easily without any problems. I know that people do "slip through" in Ontario - I did as a young person growing up there - but things tend to be stricter there for sure.

I realize that people are defensive about Ontario being labelled at tightwad province by Gibbroni, but seriously having a more relaxed attitude to alcohol is not necessarily a good or a bad thing. It's just different.

I'd definitely agree that it's neither a good or bad thing. At the end of the day it doesn't really impact ones life that greatly either - you get used to the system you have. I personally favour most aspects of Quebec's model but Ontario seems to be (slowly) moving in that direction.

Interestingly enough though I always found that the differences are much more pronounced in Ottawa. Considering it's right next to Quebec, alcohol laws seem very strictly enforced in that city. Maybe it's the ingrained bureaucracy I dunno.

Toronto has always seemed far more laid back and it's really not uncommon to see drinking in the open at parks or at many events. My roommate and I walked around our neighbourhood the other day pint in hand and nobody seemed to notice or care. There are a number of stand-alone wine stores that sell until 11 in the central city too - good standbys if need be.

[davidivivid]

Well, I'd have to live in Ontario in order to have a good opinion on the subject. All I know is that I'm really looking forward to lunch: the weather is great and I'm meeting some friends on the Plains of Abraham park with bread, cheese and a good bottle of Sauvignon blanc.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by DrJoe

The exception to what exactly? In rural Ontario which is sizable in both area and population they are the norm.

Also I don't see how they can't be equated. If you live in these areas you can go down to the corner store and buy alcohol exactly the same way as someone in Quebec could.

Oh my lord! Have you every seen a corner store in Toronto that has permission to sell booze? It's an exception for small towns that can't support a stand alone LCBO. Both Lindsay and Bobcaygeon have stand alone LCBO and you won't find a corner store selling booze in either of them.

[rbt]

Originally Posted by davidivivid

Well, I'd have to live in Ontario in order to have a good opinion on the subject.

Probably. If you're in Toronto anytime soon, check out the Summerhill LCBO. I've not run into very many stores in North America that can match their selection.

In fact, aside from a few speciality stores in New York and San Francisco I've not found anyshops that regularly stock decent red's from Georgia (rich semi-sweet; tend to be my favorites) and those shops charged 5x the cost of the LCBO.

Trying this one with lunch:
http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/pro...mNumber=260232

As an Ontarian who travels frequently and probably drinks far too much wine, I'm pretty damn happy with the LCBO.

[niwell]

Summerhill LCBO makes me wish I appreciated wine more. Their beer selection is pretty good but it's a shame we don't get more American microbrews. Things are definitely improving on that front though - there's a marked difference from only a few years ago.

[caltrane74]

That Summerhill location likely has a quality selection because it's catering to perhaps the richest people in Canada, whom have likely acquired a pretty good taste for wine. - I've never been in that store, but I have to assume it's probably the showcase LCBO store in Ontario.

[Acajack]

As a Quebec resident, while I do appreciate the convenience of wine at grocery and corner stores, I wouldn't want to live solely on these wines, and could never do without the selection at the government-run SAQ stores. That's where the real good stuff is.