BC bar fined $3,000 for clearing drinks from table 12 minutes late

A BC bar has been fined $3,000 for being 12 minutes late clearing a table.

According to a Jan. 15 BC Liquor and Cannabis Branch decision, the bar was required to clear any alcoholic drinks from tables 30 minutes after last call.

The decision said Vancouver bar, The Heaven, was allowed to serve liquor until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays which meant all drinks had to be finished or cleared away by 2:30 a.m.

However, when two BC liquor inspectors, accompanied by a police officer, arrived at the bar at 2:42 a.m. they found a couple sitting at the back still with half a drink to finish.

“I find that the licensee had not removed the liquor from the table before 2:30 a.m… which was half an hour after the end of liquor service as required by the licence,” BC Liquor and Cannabis Branch delegate Nerys Poole said in the decision. “I find that liquor was still on the table at 2:42 a.m.”

That 12-minute delay netted the bar a $3,000 fine.

“The factors that I have considered in determining the appropriate penalty in this case include: whether there is a proven compliance history; a past history of warnings, … the seriousness of the contravention, the threat to the public safety, and the well-being of the community,” Poole said in the decision.

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As this was the bar’s first offence the delegate issued the minimum monetary penalty of $3,000. The bar opted for the fine instead of being ordered to close for three days. The maximum fine is $7,000 or being shut for seven days.

According to the decision, the couple were the only two people left in the Granville Street bar still drinking – he had half a beer left, and she was drinking a cocktail – and there is no indication that the drinks were served after 2 a.m.

Nevertheless, the Liquor Branch still issued a fine.

“The Branch’s main objective in imposing a penalty is not to punish a licensee, but to achieve compliance with the regulatory scheme by both this licensee and all other licensees. To encourage compliance, the penalty needs to both deter the particular licensee from future contraventions and also act to encourage all licensees to strive to be in compliance,” the delegate said.

The bar has 30 days to pay.