To the editor:
On Nov. 12, Tbnewswatch.com posted an article announcing that our local movie theatre had applied for a liquor licence with the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario, but one detail in the article made me quite frustrated: public comments for their application had closed on Nov. 11, the day before the article had been published.
My overall reaction of this news was negative, I had questions and concerns I would have liked to put forth, and it seemed like many citizens felt the same.
Perhaps it's my age and growing up in the age of all things digital, but I had not considered taking my concerns to the editor's column until I read the letter written by Joanne Kuitunen. Her concerns were nearly identical to mine, but strangely enough, her words allowed me to see a lot of solutions to these possible problems.
In Joanne's letter, she expresses concern for underage drinking and intoxicated behaviour. I've been in larger theatres where you purchase your beverage at the concession stand, so I completely understand why there is a concern for alcohol entering the hands of minors. Perhaps it would be better for Silver City to dedicate one theatre to serving alcohol on carts before the show, and ensuring the patrons inside that theatre are of age through ID verification (which they should already be doing as per the AGCO license, if its granted). If alcohol can only be purchased within a certain time frame before the show and everyone inside the theatre is of age, it would mean no minors are served alcohol and obnoxious behaviour will be less likely if they aren't served to that point of intoxication.
Additionally, Silver City has made use of local security services in the past and I have no doubt that their presence would be brought back if they are to introduce this to their business.
All in all, I think that this could be a great form of entertainment for the community if executed properly. I hope that Silver City takes these comments and concerns into consideration, if their license is approved.
Kara Gaudette,
Thunder Bay
