Liquor Board "Sting"

Another waste of tax dollars.

In an undercover sting, a nearly six foot blonde "penetrated" several Victoria-area nightclubs in an operation to bust liquor serving establishments that allowed entry to minors.

Underage drinking is rampant. I did it, you did it, we all fucking did it. The fact that the Victoria Police Department had to go undercover to discover that this happens is a sign of gross benightedness on their part. One may add that it is probably part reticent as well; I'd be nonplussed to hear of a member of that police force who had not indulged in an alcoholic beverage before the ripe and tender age of nineteen, and I'd be addled to hear that they did not attend such drastic measures as to having snuck into a tavern when they were underage.

And yet, are they going after provincially owned liquor stores? Well...no.

How about the liquor distribution board (government owned)? Not so much.

Instead, they are targeting their considerable resources after privately owned nightclubs and bars. As if they are the source of the scourge which is underage alcoholism.

(That they had to go undercover may suggest just how little an issue this is. After all, were it such a problem, they wouldn't have to sneak undercover marks into bars, they would simply outright close bars grossly offending the liquor act.)

At the end of the day, nightclubs and bars are easy targets, particularly for groups like MADD, which has turned from a victim-rights advocacy group into a viciously powerful self-serving lobbyist organization. It's simple to blame a nightclub for overserving someone, but that same person can go to a liquor store and buy a 40oz bottle of vodka and in an amazing show of hypocrisy there is not a word of protest.

Regarding Sauce's (a local martini bar) contravention, the inspector in question felt compelled to note that the undercover agent was a six foot blonde who by the inspector's own admission appeared to be more than 'mature.' The inspector felt appropriate to note that she was wearing a "low rise" shirt...not sure how that is relevant....

Verbatim from the inspector's report: "In this case, there is the suggestion that the licensee should not have been relying on the SIR (Serving it Right) program and should have had some written tests for employees"

Which tends to suggest that the $50 certification that is supposed to be mandatory for all employees in the hospitality industry is not sufficient. Which begs the question, what then is the purpose of such certification?