It may be five o’clock somewhere else, but the Kamloops social planning council thinks 9 a.m. is too early to offer alcohol for sale at the city’s new casino.
The citizen committee has rejected requests from both Cascades Casino — now being constructed in the former Rona building between Aberdeen and Pineview Valley — and Chances Gaming Centre on the North Shore to begin serving alcohol at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively.
According to minutes from its April 22 meeting, the committee recommended both establishments begin serving alcohol no earlier than 11 a.m.
“Members felt that allowing alcohol consumption at 9:00 am was unnecessary and could contribute to excessive alcohol intake and problem drinking,” meeting minutes state.
The social planning council was also concerned about the increased capacity at both establishments “and the combination of alcohol and gambling.”
Cascades is seeking three liquor licences for the Aberdeen casino, while cancelling the liquor licence for its soon-to-be-shuttered Victoria Street location.
Chances is looking to increase its capacity from 445 to 900 people and to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol on a new patio and addition.
Only the Chances liquor licence amendment is up for debate today, with the application amended to ask for an 11 a.m. start to serving booze.
City staff are recommending council support the application, which would go to the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for further scrutiny.
The casino applications weren’t the council’s only source of concern, minutes show.
A liquor licence application that would allow a capacity increase on the area floor at Interior Savings Centre also troubled some members, who had “reservations about the combined increase in Liquor Licence capacity for the community represented by the three applications.”
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