ENSURING
ONLY THE RIGHT PEOPLE GET SERVED
Preventing sales to minors and those who appear intoxicated is
a year-round responsibility LCBO employees take very seriously. Our
Challenge and Refusal program helps ensure only the right people get served.
In fiscal 2007-2008, LCBO store staff challenged more than 2 million people
who appeared underage or intoxicated. Just over 134,000 were refused service
– a nine per cent increase from last year and a new record. Of those
refused, 83 per cent were for age-related reasons.In Ontario, it’s illegal
to consume alcohol before the age of 19.
It’s also illegal for anyone to supply alcohol to minors. When staff have
reasonable grounds to believe someone is buying for a minor, the Liquor
Licence Act gives them the right and responsibility to refuse the sale.
LCBO’s in-store campaign Responsibility Starts
Here reinforces our commitment to responsible service, and reminds
would-be purchasers of the consequences of buying alcohol for minors. Under
the Liquor Licence Act, anyone convicted of supplying alcohol to a
minor faces a fine of up to $200,000 and up to one year in jail.
Incorporated licensed establishments can be fined a maximum of $500,000 for
this offence. Anyone who holds parties for minors where alcohol is served
may also be subject to criminal charges and civil liability.
Under LCBO’s year-round Check 25 program, potential customers who appear
to be under the age of 25 are routinely asked for proof of age. This helps
ensure that minors who look older than their years are not served.
SMAART TRAINING
Every
LCBO employee serving the public takes
part in the organization’s award-winning
Working SMAART (Strategies for Managing
Age- and Alcohol-Related Troubles)
program. It trains staff how to deal
with customers who appear intoxicated
or underage, second-party purchasers
(those buying alcohol for someone
not legally entitled to purchase it)
and difficult refusals at the checkout
counter.
Employees learn to identify potential
problems and handle them tactfully
and to distinguish between characteristics
related to health conditions, disabilities
and impairment resulting from intoxication.
LCBO’s Working SMAART Quick
Check ID Guide makes it easier
to determine if someone’s identification
is valid. The booklet shows the five forms of ID set out in Ontario’s
Liquor Licence Act.
BYID CARDS
LCBO’s tamper-resistant
Bring Your Identification (BYID) photo
card, endorsed by the provincial government,
proves that customers are of legal
drinking age. To apply for a BYID
card, applicants must be 19-35 years
of age, supply a passport-size colour
photo, photocopies of documents proving
date of birth and name, and a $20
fee. A guarantor must sign the back
of the photo and all documentation
and fill out a section of the application.
Random checks help ensure applications
and guarantors are valid. Click
here to view the application form
online or visit any LCBO store for
a copy.
BYID cards can be used to purchase
beverage alcohol in all retail stores
and licensed establishments in Ontario.
Other prescribed forms of ID under
Ontario's Liquor Licence Act
are a driver's licence, passport,
Canadian citizenship card and Canadian
Forces card.
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH
The LCBO is not alone in
promoting responsibility. LCBO store
managers and staff also work with
school officials and community leaders,
participating in meetings, trade and
consumer shows and other events to
promote responsible drinking.
To further deter underage drinking,
the LCBO has developed an information
kit, Alcohol Facts for Students
– Making Smart Choices. This and other resources for
teachers are available on our
website to educate
students about alcohol. Store
managers also ask area high schools
for dates of upcoming dances, proms,
graduations and other occasions when
students and graduates might try to
obtain alcohol. As well, LCBO staff
visit interested high schools prior
to proms to advise students they are
on the lookout for underage customers
and individuals attempting to purchase
for them. In some communities, principals
and teachers spend time at the store
on prom nights to help deter minors’
attempts to purchase.
This May, LCBO stores will be supporting Ontario Students Against
Impaired Driving (OSAID) fundraising efforts with donation boxes. Free prom tips for students
and parents
are also available online, in LCBO
stores or through the LCBO’s
toll-free Infoline.
For more information, contact the
LCBO Social Responsibility Department
at 416 864-6820. You can also call
the LCBO’s bilingual Infoline
at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (1-800-668-5226).
In Metro Toronto, call 416 365-5900
or e-mail infoline@lcbo.com.
The TTY numbers for the deaf and hearing
impaired are 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.
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