June 30, 2011
Little interest in
alcohol policy meeting
by Denise Walker
Four years ago, Deep River council decided it should update its
policies on the use of alcohol in municipal buildings. Recreation
manager Shelley Cull was asked to put together a draft policy.
The draft policy raised several concerns for recreational groups, and
the policy was sent back to staff for further review.
Last week, town staff held a public meeting to explain how the policy
will affect groups intending to serve alcohol at events on municipal
property.
The policy applies to all events, whether or not there is any charge
for the alcohol.
Unfortunately only one recreational group attended – the Replays Hockey
group, represented by Steve D’Eon. No members of council attended the
meeting.
Cull noted that the postal strike may have contributed to the low
turnout, since it was not possible to mail invitations to recreational
groups.
The town had published a notice of the meeting in the North Renfrew
Times.
Cull said she had contacted some user groups, including Summerfest.
Cull said it would be up to council whether staff would hold another
meeting.
Cull acknowledged that there was some lack of understanding on the need
to do more than just what was required by provincial legislation.
She explained that the policy would help to protect individuals taking
out a licence who might not understand their full liability. It would
also help the town to defend itself in the event of any incidents that
lead to civil claims.
Cull also pointed out that she had looked at municipal alcohol policies
from other towns in the area, including Petawawa and Head, Clara and
Maria.
“Our policy is very much in line with other policies out there,” she
said.
Mark Lambert, from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, came to the
meeting.
He did not give a formal talk but was willing to answer questions about
the need for municipalities to develop alcohol use policies.
Lambert supported the work done by Cull, saying “it is essential to
educate individuals who take out a special occasion permit on their
responsibilities. It helps to protect them.”
Lambert pointed out that organizers could be liable for damages even
after the patron had left and gone home.
He said that educating event organizers was a key aim of having a
municipal policy.
The policy identifies three goals. The first is to ensure effective
management practices at social events held in municipally owned
facilities where alcohol use is permitted.
The second goal is to reduce alcohol-related problems at these social
events.
The third goal is to protect the municipality, staff, community
organizations, volunteers, and participants from contributing to a
problem that could result in a lawsuit.
Three municipal facilities are designated as eligible for alcohol use
events. They are the Deep River Arena, part of Grouse Park, and the
program room of the Deep River Library.
Other areas may be approved on an individual basis.
The policy sets numerous requirements that event holders must meet.
They include the need for all servers to have completed provincial
“smart serve” training.
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