Should Toronto have a 4 a.m. last call? These people certainly think so
The term “world-class city” gets thrown around a lot these days—especially in Toronto, which seems haunted by it—but it tends to mean different things to different people. For a group of scrappy fun-lovers that have started a campaign called Extend Last Call T.O., being world class amounts to one thing: extending last call to 4 a.m.
Among the more reasonable arguments on the site is that later hours will be more profitable for bar owners, and that it may also be safer for those who frequent after-hours joints (we’re looking at you, Comfort Zoners). But the crew of party-goers also cites freedom and the ability to “continue having fun” as reasons for the new legislation. Plus, it assumes that the city comes alive during Toronto International Film Festival and Nuit Blanche because of the extended operating hours of bars, rather than the culturally exciting events taking place adjacent to the booze.
Toronto journalist and blogger Adam McDowell thinks the movement will improve Toronto’s reputation on the world stage. “Toronto can fix its ho-hum image by scrapping pointless, anti-fun regulations and generally encouraging the city to let loose,” he says on the Extend Last Call T.O. website. We’re unsure whether a group of perpetually hungover citizens will bring Toronto any closer to achieving a world-class reputation for success, but we’re pretty confident the mayor would support McDowell’s philosophy.
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