This Small Canadian Town Has Had A Ban On Alcohol For Decades But That May Be About To Change

Canadians love their beer, right? That has been the cliché for ages now, at least since Molson Canadian released its now-famous "I Am Canadian" commercial that seemed to weave beer drinking into the very fabric of our national pride. But there's actually one small town in Alberta that has fought against that standard for decades now.

Cardston, Alberta, currently has a ban on alcohol sales throughout the town, which means there aren't any liquor stores to be found and restaurants aren't allowed to serve alcohol. But there are some exceptions — residents can buy alcohol from other towns to consume at home and some places can get special events licenses to buy and serve alcohol, that's it.

But next month, that could all change. Residents will be able to vote on whether they should lift the ban on alcohol sales or not.

Some businesses have urged the council to reevaluate rules to allow the sale of alcohol in some restaurants and large venues in the currently "dry" town.

Under the proposed change of the bylaw, "limited" liquor sales would be allowed in Class A establishments such as restaurants and Class B areas such as golf courses.

The town is currently asking residents for their thoughts on the matter, ahead of a vote which is scheduled for May 29 at the same time as Alberta's provincial election.

In an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener, Maggie Kronen, mayor of Cardston, said the council wanted to get the opinions of residents in the town on the issue before the council makes their decision.

She said it was important to "allow the people to decide what they really want for the town and then we will make the final decision."

There's a long history of "dry" communities in southern Alberta. While prohibition ended in Alberta in 1924, some areas voted to continue to ban the sale of liquor, including towns such as Cardston and Raymond.

Cardston previously held a public vote in 2014, where 67.7% of residents were against changes to rules to allow restaurants to serve alcohol.

Last year, the town of Raymond had its own vote on whether to change rules to allow "full-service" restaurants to apply for liquor licenses which would allow restaurants where food is the primary source of business to serve alcohol.

The rule change wouldn't impact other businesses so bars, nightclubs, taverns, and microbreweries still wouldn't be allowed in the town.

The town also clarified that the proposed change to the bylaw wouldn't suddenly mean the town would be "wet", but slightly less "dry" or "damp."

Residents were asked to give their thoughts on amending the by-law to do so and after consulting with the town's residents, six out of seven members of the town's council voted against the proposed change in rules.

According to Global News, over half of the 890 residents that participated in the discussion wanted to keep the town's "dry" status, while 238 people wanted to end Prohibition altogether. Another 166 were happy for a change to rules for licensed restaurants and 22 were indifferent.