its who you know!

agreed,
hypocracy at its best.

Council should take BIG heat for that .....Again, agreed Joe and Sadie were completely screwed!

not that i agree with councils decision to deny the liquor permit for the raging elk as I like the idea of an outdoor patio that serves cold beers on a sunny day.

But in councils defence, they did lobby the community for opinions and if MORE people would have attended the council meeting, or sent letters regarding their opinions then perhaps the positive feedback would have outwayed the negative. unfortunately that was not the case!

Democratic decisions are only made posible when PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY participate. its one thing to sit back and critisize but its another to get involved!

Perhaps your right LJ, In my opinion it would not of mattered if all feedback was positive. Certain business members in our community along with 4 like minded councillors are trying to create a "dowtown core" of dining and liqour establishments, according to their "vision" of fernie. I think the raging elk had 11? complaints against there applicaiton.11 is hardly a huge cross section of our communtiy is it?

has the city lobbied the community for input on the fernie hotels application or the brickhouse? 13 less parking spots at overwaitea in the winter is going to add mahem to chaos for all. The sidewalk outside the brickhouse hardly seems wide enough for a patio!
It seems like the dmo and the city are scratching each others backs already!!!

i agree LJ once the city understands what "democratic decisions" are then perhaps more of us will have the opportunity for input.

Good God, I never thought I would agree with Steve so vehemently. You said it all Steve, can Joe and Sadie re-apply or make any adjustments to the proposal?

I can't believe the Brick House has been given an outdoor patio license but the Raging Elk has not. It's not exactly located in a part of town that would cause any problems with outdoor drinking, compared to the Brick House.

THIS Raging Elk licenes is going to councel again on the 16th of July, they could realy use every ones help if you could show up and voice your suport, in the name of fairness to all...So please all turn up for the meeting or write in to the city but your live voice does mean more....

Maybe you guys should look into what the businesses were asking from the city. The Raging Elk was asking for a liquor license as well as a patio approval. The Brickhouse and the Fernie were asking for an extension of their license to incorporate additional seating on a patio.

I am for business, especially when it is local, and supported Sadie and Joe but do not compare apples to oranges.

It's only apples and oranges if you beleive the hype. The changes to the brickhouse and fernies licenses have just as must influence on our community as a new application. Those in city hall showing favouritism would like you to beleive otherwise i'm sure. Doesn't matter how you look at it, the people in town with liqour licenses don't want to share their pie with anyone else and they are masking those intentions behind excuses like "keep businesses on 2nd ave and central" and "we are worried about the children" bull sh*t. If city council and the liqour control board were really and truly concerned about the issues raised against the kodiak lounge, there is no way in hell they would approve the ammendments to both the brickhouse and the fernie's licenses. I'm all for downtown decks and patios,great idea, but the same rules should apply to everyone, not just big developers and dmo commitee members!

It is apples and oranges. The Kodiak Lounge does not at this point have a liquor license, and they are going after a liquor primary which means they do not have to serve food with alcohol (like a bar or club). It is difficult in any City to get a liquor primary. Some cities even set limits on the amount they allow at one time.

I know Matt spent the last two years working on implementing a patio, and his first proposal was submitted to the City in October. It will soon be July, 9 months later, and it is just happening for him.

Instead of ranting on OurFernie about people and who they know, why don't you get to know Joe and Sadie (if you don't already) and lend them a hand in this process? I'm sure they will appreciate who they know when their next proposal is submitted to the City.

While it is agreed that the procedural requirements of a primary liquor license amendment application are different, it is improper to allow differences in procedural requirements to supersede the principles of natural justice and fairness. It is clear that the council has acted with different biases when considering support for patios at licensed premises in Fernie. For example, unproven conjecture about supposed behaviour of patrons of the Raging Elk Hostel is accepted as proof of potential disturbance to the area while proven, repeated, RCMP documented illegal behaviour at a particular bar in town is disregarded.
As with all liquor license applications it is mandatory for all liquor establishments to make food available. The Kodiak Lounge is an early evening lounge not a night club. The Kodiak lounge proposal conforms well to noise by laws in their application by their early closure times and from my understanding the liquor control board has approved this application based on their criteria, on the condition of approval from the Fernie city Council .