Policy Interventions for Reducing Alcohol-related Harm

Regulating physical availability

Policy strategies:

1. Limit alcohol density.
2. Confine hours of service.
3. Limit alcohol allowed public events. 

• • Strengthen local zoning regulations to avoid density and congestion.
  • Evaluate license applications based on potential community impact (e.g. size of venue, number of patrons).
  • Evaluate license application process considering health and safety decisions.
  • Provide resolutions to the provincial government on alcohol availability concerns.
  • Offer alcohol-free entertainment, recreation, and social events.
  • Conduct impact study for all pending decisions and new applications.
  • Maintain 2 a.m venue closures and consider earlier weekday closures.
  • Review, strengthen, promote, and enforce the municipal alcohol policy.
  • Advocate for stricter controls on the sale of large volume containers e.g. beer kegs.
  • Advocate for the authority to restrict or ban alcohol delivery services within the municipality.

• Studies show a positive association between alcohol outlet density and alcohol-related  problems.^58,85  The over concentration of bars, restaurants, and off-premise establishments in certain areas of the city leads to neighbourhoods where alcohol-related  problems  such as public intoxication and assault can flourish and where quality of life becomes a concern. Limiting alcohol outlet density through the use of regulatory authority (e.g. licensing and zoning) is an evidence-informed policy consideration at the local level. ²⁹

• In 2006, Kingston City Council advocated for changes to the Liquor License Act to curb the sale of large quantities of alcoholic beverages such as beer kegs, and encouraged other municipalities to also act.⁸⁶ To date no changes have been made and individuals are still able to obtain multiple kegs at one time. One keg of beer is the equivalent of 7 cases of beer or 168 standard drinks.

Controlling affordability

Policy strategies:

1. Appeal to provincial government.
2. Appeal to federal government.

• • Maintain present government control on the sale of alcoholic beverages.
  • Work with communities and government to implement minimum pricing laws, volumetric mark-ups, and impose penalties for drink discounting violations.
  • Appeal for government to index alcohol prices to cost of living.
  • Keep at or above the consumer price index.
  • Work with government to introduce price incentives for lower-strength alcohol and disincentives for higher- strength alcohol.
  • Direct revenues from alcohol to fund alcohol research and evidence-based programming
• While Ontario mandates minimum retail prices for different categories of alcohol, Saskatchewan is the only has implemented minimum pricing linked to the amount of pure alcohol in each product.
• By increasing the price of high alcohol content products, Saskatchewan saw a 12.6% decline in the sale of these products and a corresponding decrease in police calls for public intoxication.⁸⁷
• In addition to a decline in alcohol consumption of 135,000 litres of absolute alcohol, Saskatchewan saw a revenue increase of $9.4 million in the year following the pricing changes^88, 89

Restrictions on marketing

1. Pursue local regulations.
2. Support counter-advertising.
3. Appeal for healthier alcohol advertising policies and practices.

• • Strengthen local restrictions on alcohol advertising such as imposing constraints on number, location, size, and content of ads.
  • Apply sponsorship restrictions to civic events.
  • Discourage venues from advertising and conducting "happy hour" sales.
  • File advertising concerns and complaints to Advertising Standards Canada and advocate for new standards.
  • Mobilize communities to build support for healthier alcohol advertising practices.

Modify the drinking context

Policy strategies:

1. Regulate special occasion events.
2. Improve conditions of on-premise alcohol outlets.

• • Regulate, manage, and evaluate public special-occasion events. 
  • Monitor changes to the Liquor Licence Act and consider potential health and safety impact on municipal events.
  • Review, strengthen, promote, and enforce the municipal alcohol policy.
  • Enact responsible beverage service training and in-house bar policies.
  • Mandate Safer Bars training as part of licensing to reduce alcohol-related problems and violence in licensed establishments and bars.
  • Provide inspectors and police with data on problem areas and assist with targeted policing initiatives.
• Bars, licensed restaurants, and special occasion events are places where people gather to socialize in our communities. Unfortunately, they are also places where excessive drinking and drunkenness can occur, increasing the risk for fights, sexual harassment and assault, vandalism, and impaired driving.^63, 92
• Training programs on alcohol law and liability, and violence prevention, are available to help bar staff address these issues, and many local licensed establishments have voluntarily participated in this training.
• The Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) instituted "Risk Based Licensing" which categorizes licensed premises according to their location, history, past infractions, etc. In some cases, conditions may be imposed on the license.⁹³
• Municipalities can play a key role in ensuring safe licensed premises by mandating Safer Bars training as a condition of license, especially for those licensees who pose a greater risk to public safety or are not compliant with the law.⁹⁴

Drinking-driving Prevention and Countermeasures

Policy strategies:

1. Enhance enforcement.
2. Shape public attitudes.

• • Increase enforcement activities (e.g. patrols, sobriety checkpoints). Educate public on legislation, penalties, fines, etc.
  • Encourage the reporting of suspected impaired drivers to the police through Operation Lookout and
  • Call 911 messaging.
  • Advocate for lower Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels.
  • Plan and promote safe transport to and from venues.
  • Encourage screening, brief interventions, and remedial skill support for people with existing impaired driving charges.
  • Promote media campaigns challenging the norms of impaired driving.
  • Mobilize venues to teach staff the danger and unacceptability of drunk driving.

Education and Awareness on Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm

Policy strategies:

1. Drive media-based initiatives.
2. Target colleges and universities.
3. Build support for comprehensive, coordinated and health oriented strategies.

• • Educate the public on alcohol use dangers, consequences, norms, myths, offered services, and misunderstandings.
  • Challenge the norms of alcohol use and misuse with media campaigns.
  • Utilize current health behaviour models and communication theories to shape campaigns . Utilize multiple mediums in education strategies.
  • Include range of stakeholder representation in campaign planning and participation. Enhance role of public health specialists in alcohol policy deliberations.
  • Educate political systems about evidence of damage and costs from alcohol.
  • Facilitate the development of a comprehensive alcohol strategy for the City of Kingston. Advocate for the development of a provincial alcohol strategy.
  • Advocate for the development of a provincial alcohol strategy.

Treatment and Brief Intervention

Policy strategies

1. Improve services.
2. Appeal to provincial government.
3. Appeal to federal government.

• • Support  local  addiction  services  in  efforts  to  improve treatment referral system within municipalities.
  • Increase capacity for screening and brief interventions.
  • Increase promotion of on-line brief intervention services.
  • Implement a workplace alcohol policy for civic officials and staff.
  • Encourage  local  businesses  and  industries  to  adopt comparable  policies.
  • Encourage   local   colleges   and   universities   to   adopt comparable  policies.

Adapted and reprinted with permission from: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Public Health Ontario. July 2012. Draft: Tools for supporting local action to reduce alcohol-related harms. Policy options and a resource inventory to support alcohol  policy in Ontario. Toronto; ON95