The Whistle Stop Pub, a neighbourhood bar in Courtenay, has been fined $3,000 by the British Columbia Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) for allowing an intoxicated individual to remain in the bar last November.
According to an LCRB decision, two inspectors visited the Whistle Stop Pub fora routine inspection to ensure the pub and its workers were abiding by the Liquor Control and Licensing Act.
The inspectors entered around 11:36 p.m. on November 2nd and did not immediately identify themselves, as no staff were present to greet them.
While seated at a booth, the inspectors noticed a woman who appeared to be “unsteady on her feet with drooping eyes.”
Over the next 30 minutes, the inspectors continued to monitor her behaviour, and the behaviour of those sitting with her.
According to the inspectors, she was speaking with Whistle Stop employees with her eyes closed, she was walking unsteadily and all of her behaviour indicated she was intoxicated.
The woman left the bar at around 12:12 a.m., at which point the inspectors identified themselves to staff and told them they had witnessed the intoxicated woman, noting that she should not have been permitted to stay in the establishment.
The bartender they spoke to said that the pub was short staffed that night and apologized for not noticing the woman’s behaviour.
Because the woman was permitted to stay in the bar while showing multiple signs of intoxication, the bar was issued a notice of non-compliance by the LCRB.
According to Whistle Stop Pub, prior to the inspectors arrival, the intoxicated woman was initially refused entry.
She called for a cab, but due to an event in the neighbourhood, she was informed that it could take up to an hour and a half.
Bar staff described the 20-year-old woman as being “obviously intoxicated and scantily clad,” and made the decision to allow her to remain within the pub while she waited for the cab where she would be safer than if she was on the street.
They also noted that she was not served alcohol, and only drank water while in the Whistle Stop.
According to a representative of the Whistle Stop Pub, since this event, arrangements have been made with a nearby 7-11 convenience store to allow people waiting for cabs to wait there, rather than in the pub.
In matters such as these, fines can range between $3,000 and $7,000. Or, licensees can opt to shut their businesses down for a number of days, at the discretion of the LCRB.
Because of the unique circumstances of this incident, the Whistle Stop was given a choice between the minimum fine of $3,000, or a three day closure.
The pub opted for the fine and has had to post visible signs communicating to their patrons that an infraction has been made on site.
