Ward 10 Councillor Andre Chabot says it’s time to review and enforce the bylaws governing the location of liquor stores in Calgary.
According to Chabot, there has been a relaxation of the enforcement of bylaws which restrict:
- Liquor stores from opening at a location within 150 metres of a school
- Liquor stores from opening within 300 metres of another liquor store
Chabot says multiple liquor stores in neighbouhoods may create parking concerns and additional street noise, and may reflect poorly on the community itself.
“The perception that a community has, if you see nothing but liquor stores and pawnshops, it tends to degrade the aesthetics of the community,” explains Chabot. “As far as the rules, since the deregulation, the number of liquor stores has gone up by 15 per cent.”
The Ward 10 Councillor has received several citizen complaints about an oversaturation of liquor stores in certain neighbourhoods, but Chabot concedes a relaxation of current rules may be warranted in some areas of the city.
“Obviously there needs to be some rules in place to make sure liquor stores are not next to schools but there needs to be flexibility to allow some clustering in areas like Inglewood, Kensington, maybe some niche areas, where it makes sense for more liquor stores to establish.”
Chabot plans to put forth a motion in council on Monday.
