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Alcohol
and the Law
| The
Gaming and Liquor Act 2000 |
The Gaming
and Liquor Act 2000 controls the use, sale, and supply of alcohol
on or from licensed premises like pubs, bars, restaurants and liquor
stores. Main rules you need to know about in Alberta:
18 or over
If you are 18 or over you can buy alcohol and enter licensed premises
in Alberta as long as you can show photo ID as proof of your age.
Anyone appearing under the age of 25 can be checked. Acceptable forms
of ID are a passport, a photo driver's license, Armed Forces ID card,
Certificate of Indian Status, Immigrant Authorization or an Alberta
Registries Identification Card.
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Under
18
If you are under 18 years of age, it is an offense to possess, consume
or purchase alcohol. It is illegal to sell or supply alcohol to anyone
known to be, or appearing to be (unless the person has proof otherwise)
under the age of 18, although it is not illegal for parents or guardians
to give an underage child a drink at home. (Parent or legal guardian
doesn't include any other family members like aunts, uncles, older
brothers or sisters, older boyfriends or girlfriends, older husbands
or wives, coaches or anyone else acting temporarily in the place of
a parent.)
Selling or supplying alcohol to any person who appears to be intoxicated
is also illegal. Under the Criminal Code, it is an offense to drive
with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or greater, and to
drive while impaired even if one’s BAC is less than .08%. |
| If
you break the law |
The rules
are strict and there are stiff penalties for breaking the law for
both you and the person who supplies you with the alcohol.
• If you are under 18 and buy alcohol or are illegally in a
licensed premise, you could have to pay a $200 infringement fee, which
is like a traffic ticket. If the police charge you and you go to court,
you could be fined up to $2,000
• If you are found
in possession of, or drinking alcohol in a public place (without a
parent or legal guardian) - you could be charged a $200 infringement
fee or fined up to $300
• If someone buys alcohol for
you - they could be fined up to $2,000
• You are legally
responsible for anything that you do while you are drunk (e.g. assault,
) and can be charged, tried and convicted.
• If a bar manager or licensee sells or supplies alcohol to
you - they could be fined up to $10,000 or have their license suspended
or both. |
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