St. Albert's new Downtown Business Association (DBA) is planning to apply for entertainment district status, which could lead to relaxed rules around alcohol consumption in the downtown core.
Entertainment districts are designated areas of public space that allow for consumption of alcohol while not inside a licensed establishment, although alcohol being consumed must only be purchased from businesses that fall inside the district. The provincial government brought the entertainment district concept to Alberta in late 2021, and Red Deer's Ross Street Patio area was considered the first such district in the province when it was created in July of 2022.
DBA president Shannon Roche said given the organization's mandate is to improve business opportunities and success downtown, applying for entertainment district certification in downtown St. Albert is a step in the right direction.
“I think [it would] be great for that cultural feeling of downtown,” she said. “Definitely creating a standard and a culture of what are we wanting to see down here.”
“When we have events downtown — the Farmers' Market, the Plaza Series, Rock'n August — it will give us an opportunity to have an extension of those events, so if you want to go to Tryst and grab your wine during those event times you can take it with you, which you can't do without being an entertainment district.”
To have downtown become an entertainment district, city council will need to approve a change to the DBA's bylaw, which Roche said she hopes happens this spring or summer.
The bylaw will need to dictate exactly what parts of the downtown area would be included in the district, and it will need to set times and days of the week that alcohol can be consumed.
On March 5, when council approved the DBA's first annual budget and board of directors, Mayor Cathy Heron said making downtown an entertainment district was a “fantastic” idea.
“I'm excited to see that you're already exploring that concept,” Heron said. “I think it's fantastic and it would be great.”
Heron noted she will be interested to see public feedback when it comes time to discuss the change, referring to Okotoks town council's decision not to move forward with an entertainment district in the town's core last year after a majority of surveyed community members and business owners opposed the idea.
Elsewhere in Alberta, High River is currently seeking public feedback on a proposal for entertainment district status in the town's core that would only be operational during special events, which differs from Red Deer's entertainment district that allows public drinking between noon and 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
“We'll have to see how that goes [in St. Albert], but thank you for even taking that on because I think that will be ... a great way to cut red tape,” Heron told Roche during their March 5 meeting.
