By Geoffrey Howes Contributing Writer

THE recent controver- sy that has raged around Planet Hollywood has focused much atten- tion on the need to modernize B.C.’s archaic liquor regula- tions.

The new restaurant will create 300 jobs and pump $7 million of investment into the B.C. economy.

After eight months tied up in our provincial govern- ment liquor licensing bureaucracy, Planet Hollywood is finally going to be able to open its doors in B.C, with its trademark big movie screens.

But this one exception to the rules is not going to hide the fundamental reality that these and many other out- of-date regulations are still on the books.

Premier Glen Clark and Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh have expressed their frustration with the current liquor licensing system. They are considering a review that would bring our regulations in line with other jurisdic- tions,

While the public has become much more educat- ed about liquor consumption over the years, many of our. provincial regulations have not kept pace with the times,

The result is art alphabet soup of 10 licence categories which creates an unlevel playing field between various

types of hospitality establish- ments,

The rules for licensed restaurants, known as “B” licences, baffle the mind. In the case of entertainment in a licensed restaurant, you can’t have more than three TVs and their screens can’t be more than 33 inches across. That’s what Planet Hollywood was up against.

But the rules get even sil- lier.

You also can’t play games of skill — backgammon, darts, billiards — you name it, they’re illegal.

I recently heard that a grandmother stuck in the Kelowna airport for 10 hours was forbidden from playing cribbage in the licensed restaurant.

Say you wanted to puta computer terminal in your licensed restaurant and let your customers surf the Internet. You can’t da thar in B.C. because it’s against the law.

If a couple want to enjoy a glass of wine before a movie or after shopping, all they really care about is ser-

vice ald quality and atmos- phere. In British Columbia, such a simple pleasure is net so readily obtainable, because outdated regulations force restaurateurs to play a cat and mouse game with their customers.

They are required to quiz patrons about their cating intentions and be satisfied they will consume a meal before serving them a drink,

Ifa patron changes his or her mind or does not order food, the restaurateur is in breach of the law.

British Columbians and tourists alike resent being told chat they must order food in order to be served a glass of wine in a licensed restaurant. Some even think it’s a scam to make them spend more.

It’s absurd for our laws to treat customers like this, This system is impossible for the government to manage and enforce and expensive for taxpayers to support.

Ata time when people are demanding the highest value for their tax dollars, is it the best use of govern- ment resources to be upholding such ridiculous rules?

Imagine how these anti- quated rules and regulations make our province look in the eyes of the tourist from California, Ontario or Japan,

All too often, restaura- teurs have to explain that while B.C. is a world-class travel destination, some of our laws have not kept pace. With tourism becoming a major economic engine in communities throughout

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B.C. we must remain com- petitive in all respects.

I was interviewed on this topic recently by Rate Mair, who was the provincial cabi- net minister in charge of this legislation in the 1970s,

He told me this: “Nobody's talking about making drinking easier for people. They're only talking about bringing some civiliza- tion into it... people are much more mature about alcohol, they’re much more aware of its dangers, and much more careful, | think it’s time the government started to treat us as adults, not as if we were addle- headed.”

A recent poll by MarkTrend showed that the public agrees overwhelming- ly with these sentiments. New it's time for our clected officials to stand up and be counted. Over to you, Mr. Premier.

Geoffrey Howes is the vice- president of Government Affairs for the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

The North Shore News req- ularly allocates space for read- er input on a wide range of community issues in the form of guest columns,

Lf you have a column please send it c/o The Editor, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 2H4 or via e-mail to trenshaw@direct.ca, Submissions must be typewrit- ten and should be approxi- mately 500 wards.

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