Ontario's government says it has no plans to permanently change liquor laws to allow drinking starting at 10 a.m., after doing so to accommodate World Cup soccer fans.
Doug Tindal, a spokesperson for the ministry of consumer services, said Monday that the World Cup was a "unique event."
Broadcasts of the games, which were played in South Africa, started at 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., but the time Ontario bars and restaurants can normally start serving is 11 a.m.
For the one-month period of the World Cup, which ended Sunday, soccer fans in Ontario could enjoy an alcoholic beverage beginning one hour earlier. Toronto’s city council led the way by passing a bylaw allowing bars and restaurants here to serve alcohol earlier during the tournament.
Regular serving hours resumed Monday.
The government would consider future requests for other such special events, but will keep the current opening time as its standard, Tindal said.
With files from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
