Yesterday, as part of a sprawling omnibus bill (Bill 80), the Alberta government announced some legislative changes that will loosen liquor rules in the province, specifically allowing homemade alcohol at private events and the creation of “entertainment districts” where alcohol can be consumed outside of licensed premises.

The government press release was gushing at the importance of these changes. For example: “Promoting economic growth through tourism and community revitalization by enabling municipalities to create entertainment districts, designated public areas where adults may responsibly consume alcohol”. Cut through the bureaucrat-ese and they claim this change will somehow create tonnes of jobs.

To be clear. It won’t.

However, the changes, on the surface seem like very positive changes. Providing more spaces for responsible alcohol consumption and giving homebrew more credibility are good things. However, when you check the details, the big talk is not really matched by a similar size of action.

Let’s look at the homebrew changes first. As a homebrewer it is fantastic that I can legally provide my beer (or wine or cider) to guests at a wedding, big birthday party or other event. It is a long overdue recognition that homebrew is safe, popular and a great way to celebrate an event. Sounds fantastic!

Except for two things. First, there is an odd qualifier in the legislation. It stipulates homemade beer/cider/wine is allowed if “no liquor is being sold at the event”. So, no Toonie bar. No using homebrew sales as a fundraiser. No donations to the newlyweds. No offering whiskey or commercial wine for a few bucks. It seems an odd restriction, given that under the legislation homebrew is only legal under “special event” licenses, which means a bar or restaurant cannot ever serve homebrew. So, why remove any aspect of money? Why can’t homebrew be used to help a non-profit fundraise, or a newlywed couple offset their wedding expenses?

In a way I get that homebrew shouldn’t be sold – it is a hobby – but the context of a wedding or celebration seems different than selling for a profit. And why ban the sale of other liquor products? Why can’t I provide some homebrewed beer AND sell some wine for those who don’t like beer? That makes no sense.

My other issue is more practical. The new rule simply makes legal a practice that has been going on for years. I personally have supplied homebrew for friends’ weddings (and even my own). Now, maybe AGLC will come and punish me for saying that, but I doubt it. The point is that enforcement of special events licenses has always been rare. A private, well-mannered party at a community hall is hardly a priority for AGLC inspectors. Meaning you could always quietly slip homebrew behind the bar and no one got hurt.

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad the practice is fully legal now. I just think it is a minor tweak recognizing an historic oversight and not much more.

As for “entertainment districts”, the bill empowers municipalities to decide when and where to declare them. This seems an appropriate avenue, as the municipalities are in a position to understand the context better than the AGLC. However, municipalities also have a pretty hit-and-miss track record regarding liquor rules. Both Edmonton and Calgary were late to the game of revamping bylaws to facilitate breweries in commercial zones. Edmonton’s roll out of legal alcohol in parks has been an embarrassment (designated sites only??) and used as an excuse to harass houseless people rather than facilitate responsible consumption.

And while I have hope that these new rules might FINALLY mean I can sip a beer while watching music on the Edmonton Folk Music Festival hill (I have written about that before here and here), I suspect entertainment districts will be the exception rather than the rule, restricted to a handful of “special” events a year. That is a far cry from drinking a beer on the subway platform while waiting for a train (something I did in Brussels).

That said, the new rules do create the possibility of beer trucks, something I have long been an advocate for (read here). We just need to persuade City Council to be braver than they usually are around these things.

Overall, these changes are a good news story. They just aren’t worthy of the front page – or the over-sized rhetoric found in the press release.