Spaniard’s Bay drops alcohol ban for town buildings

By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Spaniard’s Bay council has dropped a decade-long ban that prohibited alcohol in town buildings.

For the next six months, it will instead be up to town committees to use their discretion on whether to allow alcohol in their respective buildings.

“I think it should be up to the committees, whether it’s the fire department or recreation, to decide if they want to actually have alcohol in the building,” said Councillor Sherry Lundrigan.

Councillor Terry Sheppard made the motion May 19 to rescind a motion passed almost 10 years ago – on Sept. 19, 2016, to be exact – that banned alcohol in municipal buildings. Mayor Tammy Oliver, deputy mayor Gerald Sheppard, councillor Sheppard, councillor Lundrigan, and councillor Debbie Newman voted in favour. Councillor Ann Marie Singleton voted against.

“I don’t believe any alcohol should be in our buildings,” said Singleton. “Just my opinion. Just a time and place for everything.”

Sheppard made a second motion that, on a trial basis of six months, committees would be permitted to allow alcohol in their respective buildings at their own discretion.

Lundrigan said that the recreation committee was on the fence about allowing or banning alcohol from their facilities—as a small group, they would have difficulty with enforcement.

“But the six months trial would be good just to make sure that everything is going smoothly,” Lundrigan said.

Singleton was the sole vote against the second motion as well.