Bars and pubs have to shut down alcohol sales at 2 a.m. under current Alberta Gaming and Liquor laws. Patrons must be finished their drinks and out of the door at 3 a.m. Finance Minister Doug Horner states a review of the Gaming and Liquor Act is coming next year.

Two local pub managers say they find current Alberta liquor laws work fine for closing time.
    Talk came about on social media and in the news about relaxing liquor laws after the province allowed establishments to open early for the Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and Sweden on Sunday, February 23.
    “It was excellent, everybody had a great time - we had a full house,” said Yavis Restaurant and Bar manager Steve Wannstrom.
    He said the current law has bars shut down sales at 2 a.m. and patrons must be finished drinking and out of the bar by 3 a.m.
    He said the current closing time is fine the way it is.
    “Until they ask for our opinion or bring something forward,” Wannstrom said,
    Vintage Pub & Grill manager Kenny Singh said he’s discussed a later closing time with his friends and colleagues in the bar and liquor businesses.
    “It doesn’t make sense bars shutting and drunk people leaving at 4 or 5 a.m. and at the same time other people are going to work.”    
    Singh’s said it might work in the bigger cities, but not in smaller towns where they’re closed around midnight on a weekday.
    Vintage didn’t open for the 5 a.m. gold medal hockey game.
    Both men agree for this special occasion relaxing the liquor laws worked, Wannstrom  notes he thought it was cool and it’s still a novelty then.
    In a media release on February 24, the minister responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, Finance Minister Doug Horner, stated:
“..the AGLC is going to take time to talk to its partners - including law enforcement, licensees and municipalities - to see how this unique event went. I trust they’ll use the feedback they receive to help them make informed decisions about any similar future requests.”
    Horner also states a review of the Gaming and Liquor Act is in the works for next year, and all the discussions that happened over social media on the gold medal game weekend will be taken into consideration.
    Local business owner and Drumheller Chamber of Commerce President John Shoff says his personal opinion is the less regulation, the better, and business owners then can decide.
    “If the bar owner wants to run it twenty-four hours, let him run it twenty-four hours. I don’t think the government should impose anything.”
    Shoff said a social aspect of the issue is that if bars don’t have a closing time, it gets rid of the concern of people over-indulging at last call at 2 a.m.
    He notes other parts of the world operate twenty-four hour establishments and don’t seem to have the problems that we do here.

On May 21 empathy in Drumheller will take the shape of bright red stiletto-heeled shoes.
    The Big Country Anti Violence Association (BCAVA) is hosting its third Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. This event raises awareness of violence against women and also helps to raise funds for much needed programs in the area.
    The event is simple and entertaining. Men from the community volunteer to put on high heels trek from the Drumheller Co-op to Freson Bros to conquer this feat of the feet. Already they have about 25 participants signed up and are hoping  for one of the best turnouts ever.
    Marian Ewing of BCAVA says in their first year they raised $17,000. The second time they staged the event they raised $15,000, however also had their best turnout of about 60 walkers.
    The funds are only half of the story.
    “We would like to get more walkers. Yes, it is nice to raise the money, and we put it to good use, but it is getting the people out there to walk and the awareness is the biggest thing,” said Ewing.
    This year they are planning to use the funds raised to donate to Communities Against Abuse. Its mandate is the prevention of emotional, physical and sexual child abuse and promotes safe, healthy, well-functioning children, families and communities through preventive education and treatment. The event will also raise funds for the Wheatland Shelter, which provides emergency shelter for victims of family violence.
    “We are also going to take on the Mental Health Drop-in,” said Ewing.
    She explains that it is a weekly support program for those with mental health issues. It provides a meal as well as activities and information sharing. It is hosted at the Elim Pentecostal Church.
    “It is an excellent program and its growing in leaps and bounds, so we want to support them,” said Ewing.
     For more information, to lend support or pick up a pledge Sheet contact BCAVA president Cindy Stelmaschuk at 403-823-3095.