Close Vancouver bars at 2am

First, Vancouver has always thought of itself as more of a big city than a backwater. The fact that New York runs drinking establishments 24/7 is usually floated as a reason why we should do the same here; only a truly "world class" city has bars open all night. The argument blissfully ignores the citys' important differences.

Second, the 2002 civic election successfully turned "fun" (i.e. public festivity, as well as bar closing hours) into an campaign issue. If you opposed late night hours, you were against Vancouverites having a good time. The resulting fun we're now experiencing are the continuous brawling outside bars, an increase in possession of illegal weapons, and the occasional bit of gunplay.

Thirdly, bar owners and patrons lobbied hard. A group calling itself the Dance Party Party even fielded candidates on a pro-fun platform.

And finally, we ended up electing a pair of noted bar patrons that year and with the help of fellow councillors, they approved a 4am closing time. Within months that time was rolled back to 3am due to complaints from the Vancouver Police Department, and the fatal shooting of a female bystander outside a Gastown bar.

Now the VPD are pushing to get the hours back to 2am. Is this a setback for Vancouver's nightlife? Are we regressing into the puritanicalism of Vancouver's old policies around liquor? I say, nope.

For a young person who has become accustomed to last calls at 2:45, it will probably be a bummer. But as someone who let his hair down on many nights during the times when bars closed at 2, trust me, it's late enough. At the risk of sounding like a patronizing old timer, I say that cutting people off earlier is a good thing (although not for the bottom line of bar owners or the BC Liquor Distribution Branch).

Whether a decade ago, or 50-years back, Vancouver revellers never lacked the ability to find a place for a good time at all hours if that's what they wanted. The same would be true today, and for the sake of public safety we should close our city's drinking establishments at 2am.