Tuesday was a momentous day for Cardston, a once dry town that will now see the liquor flow.
The town council passed an amendment to a bylaw around the town’s liquor licensing, reversing the prohibition in place since 1902 when the city enacted laws against alcohol. The town was far ahead of the times because the province-wide ban didn’t happen until 1916.
But when the province ended prohibition in 1924, Cardston and southern Albertan Mormon settlements like Stirling and Raymond chose to remain dry.
But times are changing for the southern Alberta town of 3,700 residents that has been dry for 121 years. On Tuesday, Cardston Council voted 5-2 to allow class A and class B liquor licenses in Cardston.
The decision was set in motion by a non-binding plebiscite in May. During the plebiscite, most Cardston residents voted 494-431 to allow limited alcohol sales.
This starkly contrasts the plebiscite held in 2014, where a majority of residents voted 1,089-347 against allowing limited alcohol sales.
“It might have a very changing effect on our town. We will not know until it happens. Do I have fears? I do. But I trust the people,” Cardston Mayor Maggie Kronen told the Calgary Herald.
During the public hearing, some residents raised concerns about drunk driving. Others pointed to the economic benefit of alcohol sales.
“Speaking with people in the community, there was a desire for openness, for more inclusion, not only for the business’s sake but for the community’s sake,” Kronen told Global News.
With a class A license, sit-down restaurants that mainly serve food can offer booze, but this does not include the sale of alcohol in to-go orders or ‘off-sales”. A class B license applies to recreation facilities like golf courses.
A class B license would also apply to the Cardston Agridome, the town’s public event facility featuring a heated indoor facility, riding area, concession area, and two outdoor arenas.
Cardston may have been a dry town for over a century, but the times they are a-changing.
According to Melvin Easthope, a Lee Creek Golf Course committee member, the course’s trash cans have always been filled with evidence of alcohol.
“What we’ve noticed as the Golf committee is that the trash cans are already filled with alcohol containers, so it’s already being used, it’s already happening, whether the public thinks so or not,” Easthope told Global News.
But don’t get too excited. While the bylaw seems to be catching up with modern times, lounges, nightclubs, liquor stores, and beverage rooms are still prohibited anywhere in town.
Before a business can get a liquor license, it must obtain development approval and business licensing.
However, any business that violates the conditions of the bylaw will have its liquor license taken by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) Commission, and potentially its business license too.
Applications for liquor licenses can be submitted to the AGLC starting in November. But a lot is riding on Cardston’s first application. Since the town has never issued a license, it will require AGLC and Cardston Council approval.
If the license is rejected, the AGLC will not accept more applications for at least three years. On the flip side, if approved, future applications can be approved by just the AGLC.
“There are a lot of businesses here that would like to see change. Not only to sell a business but to increase revenue and keep people in town. We’re pushing people away instead of inviting them to come back; it’s not fun,” said Cardston Chamber President Shelley Ouellette.
Will the bylaw help or harm Cardston? According to Kronen, it could go either way. Until the first liquor license gets approved, it’s a waiting game for the town.
Will Cardston’s liquor policies pave the way for other Mormon communities to open their doors to booze?
Anything is possible. Time will tell if Stirling and Raymond, two of Alberta’s last dry Morman communities, will also wet their whistle.
