Ontario allows early-morning alcohol sales for gold medal hockey game
CBC
The Ontario government will allow bars and restaurants across the province to start selling alcohol at 6 a.m. ET on Sunday as the Canadian men’s hockey team competes for a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, not long after Canada toppled Finland in a nail-biting semifinal matchup. The gold medal game starts at 8:10 a.m. ET on Sunday.
“Let’s all come together, support local businesses and cheer on Team Canada!” Ford said.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has posted a notice about the temporary change, noting that it "applies to indoor licensed areas only" and not outdoor areas such as patios.
The provincewide edict mirrors a similar decision made by Toronto city council earlier this month that allowed alcohol sales in the city to start at 6 a.m. for the duration of the Olympics.
On Feb. 15, the City of Hamilton announced that the AGCO had approved a temporary extension to alcohol sales and service — also starting at 6 a.m. — until the end of the Olympics.
Bars in the border city of Windsor, Ont., already had permission to get going early for Sunday's game.
Across the provincial border, there are dozens of establishments in Manitoba that are going to be able to sell alcohol when the puck drops on Sunday.
Lisa Hansen of the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA) told CBC News in an email that as of mid-afternoon on Friday, "57 liquor service licensed premises in Manitoba are authorized ... to offer extended liquor service hours for the Olympic men's hockey gold medal game."
The LGCA authorized an extension to the hours during which liquor can be sold, to start at 5 a.m. CST while the Olympics were on. Hansen said licence holders were required to advise the LGCA of their intention to open early for this time period.
Hansen said the changes brought into effect for the Olympics require establishments to be "open for the purpose of televising the event" and that "televisions must be on and tuned to the 2026 Olympics."
Further west in Saskatchewan, bars and restaurants can apply to temporarily extend their hours to start at 5 a.m. CST (or 6 p.m. ET) during the Olympics.
Ahead of the Winter Games, Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) said it would allow expanded hours at licensed establishments "for medal rounds for all Olympic sporting events" and would consider any Team Canada hockey game being played outside medal rounds as well.
Premier Danielle Smith said on X on Friday that the early hours will let Albertans "cheer on Team Canada in the gold medal game together."
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