A Short History of Liquor Regulations in Alberta

On Monday May 12, 1924, Alberta’s first two legal liquor stores opened, ending eight years of prohibition in Alberta. The new government-operated liquor stores were opened under the watch of the newly formed Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB). The end of prohibition came as a result of a plebiscite signed by 51,000 Albertans who wanted the Alberta government to allow the legal sale of liquor in the province.

Hotels were also granted licences by the ALCB; the Palliser Hotel in Calgary was the first hotel granted a liquor licence in Alberta. Hotels that held liquor licences had to adhere to strict rules regarding the décor, cleanliness and aura of the establishment.

According to historian David Leonard, the idea was to make drinking establishments as sparse as possible. Patrons were not allowed to stand up and entertainment in a licensed beverage room was prohibited. Although women were allowed to drink alongside their male counterparts at first, “mixed” drinking was later blamed for riotous behaviour, and in 1928 the Liquor Control Act was amended, so that special rooms had to be put together for “Ladies and Escorts”. Men and women wouldn’t legally drink together again until 1967.

The Liquor Control Act was amended many times after its inception in 1924 to allow liquor to be sold in clubs and canteens, cold beer stores, and in self-serve liquor stores. The Act was amended again in 1971, when the age of majority was reduced to 18 from 21 years of age. Finally in 1993, the Government of Alberta privatized liquor retailing.

Today, Albertans have nearly 16,000 products to choose from at some of the lowest prices in Canada. Currently, just over 1,800 liquor retailers are operating across the province.

Albertans' choice to end prohibition of liquor in 1924 is still intact 87 years later.