Want a later last call? City of Vancouver seeking community input on extending liquor-serving hours

The lights might soon be staying on longer at your local pub, as the City of Vancouver considers extending last call.

The bell for last calls might soon be ringing a little bit later in Vancouver, as the city looks to extend its liquor-serving hours.

The City of Vancouver has issued a survey to determine whether locals would like bars to keep on pouring pints until 3 a.m., and for restaurants to stay open as late as 2 a.m.

Current rules outlined within B.C.’s Liquor Control and Licensing Act allow closing hours for bars, pubs and nightclubs to range from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., depending on where they are located in the city and how close they are to residential areas.

Provincial rules require booze to stop flowing by 4 a.m., but local governments can limit those hours further.

Of the 120 bars and pubs downtown, 63 per cent of those are in areas where they can stay open until 3 a.m. any night of the week, while 29 per cent are currently in areas where they can stay open until 2 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends.

Just eight per cent are in areas where they can stay open until 1 a.m. on weeknights and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The aim of the survey, running until March 9, is to “support businesses, local economies, and neighbourhood vibrancy” while considering public health and safety, said the city in a release issued Tuesday.

Using a ranking system and multiple answer questions, the questionnaire asks respondents to what scale they agree with liquor being served late, what their main concerns are regarding later service hours, and what benefits of later hours they think are the most alluring.

The community input will be considered along with other factors, including feedback from partner agencies and local businesses, Council priorities and compliance with provincial regulations, said the city.

Should the proposed last-orders times be changed, bars, pubs and nightclubs will still have to apply to both the province and the city to change their hours.

A report with recommendations garnered from the survey will be brought forward for council consideration in the spring.