I wonder if they are prepared to do the follow up studies and potentential enforcement to see if drinking and driving increases or decreses from this decision.
It's an interesting question. On the one hand, alcohol is more accessible. On the other, it's more likely to be within walking distance. I could see it going either way.
Have you seen most Ontario communities? At least the ones being built today?
People drive to Penguin Centres because there are no corner stores anywhere outside of older downtowns, and said Penguin Centres are so large you have to walk quite some distance to get from your parking spot to the store, and you really have to drive between stores in the centre,
Anywhere you can walk to buy a chocolate bar won't see a problem. Anywhere else is going to be a train, er, car-wreck.
Did we really need to spend more than half-billion dollars to make this happen a year early? I really struggle to see what problem this is solving for Doug, other than his gnawing need to do something cravenly populist and perhaps to show the LCBO unions who's boss.
It's like we elected the protagonist from Dennis Leary's Asshole Song as premier.
This is the era of modern neoliberalism; "thoughtful studies", "follow-up" and "enforcement" aren't things we do any more, not if there's money to be made.
(The Conservative one is similar, only they spend the money to get a Big Four accounting firm to do an audit to tell them there’s no fat to trim need to invest more)