24-hour booze in airports may be coming to Ontario

A spicy caesar to go with your early morning airport wait? If a new bill drafted by Ontario’s government goes through, that may be a possibility.

A proposed law put forward by the province Monday (Oct. 28) aims to loosen alcohol restrictions in Ontario, and among suggestions on the table is to give people the freedom to drink around the clock in airport bars.

The proposed idea was among dozens of measures in a bill tabled to ease red tape and regulations.

The new rules would also enable people to take their dogs onto patios and into breweries, and bring home as much alcohol as they want from other provinces.

Serving booze in bars and restaurants in commercial airports in Ontario is currently allocated between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.

The government says allowing 24-hour alcohol service in airports would bring Ontario “in line with rules elsewhere,” the Canadian Press (CP) reported.

“I think it just speaks to the general process of our government trying to be open for business and ensuring our regulations are modern and compliant,” Prabmeet Sarkaria, the associate minister of small business and red tape reduction, told CP.

This is just one of many booze-related bills proposed by the Progressive Conservatives, which originally campaigned on a promise to introduce buck-a-beer to Ontario.

Last spring, the government drafted a number of changes to Ontario’s booze regulations. 

Among those changes included giving bars and restaurants the freedom to promote happy hour specials, allowing municipalities to pass laws that let people drink in parks and other public areas legally, and permitting licensed establishments to serve alcohol starting at 9:00 a.m. every day. 

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