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JOCELYNE LLOYD: Government takes steps to address P.E.I.'s drinking problem

P.E.I.’s Rob Lantz government has faced some criticism for decisions deemed out of touch with Prince Edward Islanders. But one possibly unpopular move deserves commendation for taking steps to save Islanders’ lives.

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As announced June 29, the government is taking on perhaps the biggest threat to Islanders’ well-being by introducing the province’s first standalone alcohol strategy.

There is no question that P.E.I. has a drinking problem. The numbers are shared in the strategy’s introduction: Alcohol contributes to 135 deaths and nearly 7,000 hospital visits per year in the province, and paying for its outcomes costs the province more than $131 million a year.

As I write this column, it’s July in P.E.I. The weather is warm and people are gathered on patios, wharfs and sidewalk tables, toasting the long days of sun and sand. The babble of voices coming from beer gardens and pleasure cruises is the background music of any excursion downtown. People enjoy socializing together and that often includes a few drinks. I’m no different.

Don’t worry, though, the P.E.I. government is not coming for your well-earned night out with friends. The new alcohol strategy suggests the most problematic drinking behaviour happens at home by alcohol that is only too easy to come by.

There are 18 P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission stores dotted around the Island, as well as 12 agency outlets attached to private businesses. Popping........

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