Edmonton Councillor Proposes 24hr Bar Service

[karrie]

What could Edmonton, Las Vegas, New Orleans and London, England, have in common? All night bar service if some city politicians and industry leaders have their way. It’s being pitched as one way to do away with the after-bar rush, where thousands of young people hit the street in search of the rarest of early-morning commodities – a taxi.
Tomorrow, a city committee will look at a plan to add a $2 surcharge for late-night weekend cab pickups to encourage more cabbies to be on the road then.
But Ward 6 councillor Dave Thiele says getting rid of forced closing times would probably be more helpful for getting people into taxis.
“No closing time, I think, would make more of a difference,” said Thiele. “It’s been a few years since the subject came up but I think that would make more of a difference for cabs.”
It’s an idea that the executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association supports.

Full Article from the Edmonton Sun

 

[Kreskin]

I have never understood the need to force closure.

 

[karrie]

I've never understood it either, given the way all hell breaks loose come closing time.

 

[gopher]

There is talk of doing the same here in St Paul because of the Republican National Convention this coming summer.

A few years ago Governor Jesse 'the Body' Ventura said on his radio show that when the right wing Promise Keepers held their convention in Minneapolis, the wh°re houses, topless bars, and speed joints all reported record business. Right wng conventions do have a tendency to bring in the big money. Therefore, some pols in the city being mindful of that fact, want to extend bar hours as this will generate much money.

A good move for sure!

 

[Lester]

Yeah, it kinda makes sense to have people gradually disperse instead of all at once.

 

[karrie]

well, right now if you want to go to the bar and have a few drinks altogether, you pretty much have to leave early to make sure you can get home. If you're a single person, perhaps it's not as big a concern, but, when you have kids at home with the sitter, you need to know you won't be stuck sitting outside the Commercial for an hour and a half waiting for a cab to pick you up. The city refused to expand their public transit hours. There aren't enough cabbies. Something needs to change. And I doubt it will be people's drinking habits that do. lol.

 

[Lester]

I havn't gone to the Commercial for ages, It used to be much different when I hung out there in my youth.

 

[Nuggler]

"The Commercial'

Sounds like a high-end watering hole...........:lol:

Sister perhaps to the old, now long gone, Paris Hotel, in Sudbury.

8O

 

[karrie]

It's a dingy old hotel, home to Blues on Whyte, a (once smoky) old biker bar and blues venue.

It's got a neat dynamic as far as bars go. The artsy crowd, the biker crowd, the young punks, and the old funks, all mingling and enjoying the blues.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

I'll have to check out that place Karrie. This past weekend we went to On The Rocks to hear a wonderful band called GO. Of course I'm partial to these guys because two of my cousins are band members. The place was way too overcrowded. As far as getting home safely, we always have a designated driver

 

[karrie]

I think ultimately, the pubs are only as good as the bands and the company in them. :smile: The last time I was at On the Rocks was to see Captain Tractor. We were there to convince them to play a friend's wedding, something they don't normally do, and so we were up dancing our arses off all night to show them that they'd have an enthusiastic audience for the wedding. It worked, but man was I tired.

 

[Lester]

"The Commercial'

Sounds like a high-end watering hole...........:lol:

Sister perhaps to the old, now long gone, Paris Hotel, in Sudbury.

8O

You should see the Strathcona across the street over a hundred years old, It has that permenant stale beer smell:cheers:. University students and senior citizens are the main clientel. It gives the word dump a bad rep.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

I wonder if the old King Eddy is still standing in Calgary?