Bruce Wark gripes a lot. But, for the most part, I understand his frustrations with the city and province and hope his negative perspective inspires some positive change. But his recent gripe about alcohol consumption misses some basic sociological facts. Restriction of supply creates more demand. This is especially true of regulated items like alcohol.When my family moved here from the states over 30 years ago I can remember getting teased for purchasing a “six-pack of beer”. The culture north of the border was that a small amount such as that was for sissies. Upon reflection the notion of why a Canadian would get 24 bottles of something while an American would get six became readily apparent when one tried to get beer at 11PM. Ask any Canadian student why they stock up on so much beer on Friday night and they’ll tell you it’s for the weekend. Ironically, it often will get consumed in one night because, well, it’s right there. Result? Back for more on Saturday, of course. The average Canadian consumes more alcohol than the average American. And the U.S. has drive-through liquor stores!I think Rodney and his gang opening on Sunday is the first responsible thing the government in this province has done with alcohol consumption in a long, long time. And I state that if they are more serious about getting a handle on over consumption that they make all alcohol available to convenience, grocery & private liquor stores so it can be offered 24/7. Sure the first few months many seem like Mardi-gras but I contend that the mega-beer box sales and the volume of beer consumed will plummet.I humbly ask Bruce what is more important, the politically correct message that the government doesn’t want you to drink too much or actions that result in constructive change in our province’s societal habits.
By Jeff Fish
