Known for its incredible landscape, Vancouver garners international attention for its natural beauty. Indeed, the city has breathtaking mountain and ocean views. As a result, the city is home to some of the best outdoor activities in the world.
With this in mind, many people feel that Vancouver is sorely lacking a nightlife. While there are numerous bars and clubs in the city, they all close pretty early. In addition, a great deal of transit, such as the skytrain, stop running fairly early, and therefore prevent people from going out late.
In addition, people have suggested that public drinking on beaches and streets would help eradicate the “no fun city” label. Others countries, such as Germany and France, allow the practice. What’s more, these nations do not seem to have negative repercussions from doing so.
Under current laws, anyone caught drinking in public can get slapped with a whopping $230 fine. While some people find this fair, others find it odd. For example, playing Pokemon Go while driving carries only a slighter higher penalty of $368; however, it could potentially kill someone or cause a significant accident.
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Public Drinking On The Beach
While there are laws that prohibit drinking in public, it comes as a surprise to few that many people do take part in the practice. In fact, a large majority of people consume alcohol on Vancouver beaches, and simply hide it when patrol come by.
CBC News interviewed a group called The Campaign for Real Ale Society in August regarding the matter. Their president, David Perry, explained, “In my opinion, that probably leads to people getting more loaded faster because they’re trying to down it as quickly as they can before the next patrol comes by,”.
While this is a fair point, others worry that open consumption of alcohol on beaches leads to drowning, fighting or sloppy, aggressive belligerence.
Do you think that Vancouver should allow drinking on beaches and on the street? Do you think it should only be allowed in select places? Would it make the city more fun or just create havoc?
Sound off in the comments below!
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