Cardston residents heading to polls once again to vote on future of liquor sales in the community

At almost 70, Ivan Negrych and his wife, who's 75, would like to retire.

They've owned The Cobblestone Manor, a century-old bed and breakfast in Cardston, Alta., for the past two decades. 

But Negrych says every potential buyer has been scared off.

"Once they found out Cardston's a dry town, and they can't get a liquor licence, they walked away," he said. 

The town, about 225 kilometres south of Calgary, is one of several communities that opted to remain dry after prohibition ended in 1923 — partly because many residents are Mormon, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and do not drink.

In 2014, Cardston held a plebiscite to gather community input on whether the rules should be updated. About 68 per cent of the community of about 3,450 people voted against the change, so the ban stayed in effect.

Some local establishments are still able to get special event liquor licences, but Negrych is seeking a further change so restaurants like the one he operates at the manor can serve alcohol to patrons, too.

It's something he says tourists, hunters and fisherman who've passed through the town have requested throughout the years.

"When they come to stay here for three or four days, they will bring two or three cases of liquor with them, and that's their entertainment," he said.

"I can't let them into the restaurant, so they have to drink in the bed and breakfast because it's a separate building from the restaurant, and then they can come in for supper or breakfast."

After bringing his concerns to the Cardston town council, officials decided they would once again hold a plebiscite to gauge citizen support for alcohol sales in town. 

The town is proposing a change to the land use bylaw that would allow for Class A and B licences, which are for food-first restaurants and large facilities, like golf courses, where alcohol is consumed on-site. 

They plan to hold the vote inline with the provincial election, scheduled for May 29.

Maggie Kronen, mayor of Cardston, said council thought it would only be fair to re-ask residents what they thought, and how they would like to see any changes implemented.

"The businesses represent 15 per cent of the tax base in our town. The residents represent 85 per cent … and so we feel they should have a voice," she said in an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener.

LISTEN | Cardston mayor explains why the town is considering alcohol sales again:

The vote is nonbinding, so council will still have the final say on whether alcohol sales will move ahead.

The town also plans to hold information sessions, public hearings and a question intake period before a final decision is made. Since some business owners don't live in town, officials also plan to do a special survey for them.

Dry communities

Cardston is one of several dry communities reconsidering how to handle alcohol licensing.

In June 2020, the province scrapped the last of its old prohibition laws, making it easier for those communities to become licensed should they choose. 

The Town of Raymond, northeast of Cardston, voted down a motion last year to make any changes to its alcohol policies. 

Stirling, just northeast of Raymond, is in the middle of its own public consultations on the issue.

Trevor Lewington, the village's mayor, said he doesn't think a formal plebiscite is necessary, but he does want to gather more input on whether residents want to see certain types of sales.

"Is the community supportive of, say, just in a restaurant when you're having meals, so there's a tourism component, or would the community support off-sales? It's not just as simple as alcohol good, alcohol bad, in my mind."

All of these first conversations for dry communities are incredibly important, he said, because they set a precedent for the future.

"Once you've allowed one application, that's it. It's the first one where the municipality can either say yes or no to alcohol. Because once you approve the first one, after that, the approval moves to the province forever."

In Cardston, Negrych says he and his wife will be watching the debate, and the decision, closely. 

"We have a prospective buyer right now waiting to see what's going to happen," he said.