Alberta is imposing minimum drink prices starting next month to help reduce drunken rowdiness and binge drinking, but bar patrons can still get a 12-ounce draft beer for just under $2.
All beer, cider or coolers in 12-ounce cans or bottles, as well as all drinks containing hard liquor or liqueurs, must be sold for a minimum price of $2.75.
The new minimum price for draft beer is 16 cents per ounce, while the minimum charge for a glass of wine is 35 cents per ounce.
There will now be a two-drink limit for all orders after 1 a.m., and tighter rules for happy hours mean that any drink specials must end by 8 p.m.
Solicitor General Fred Lindsay says the changes are not meant to interfere with responsible patrons, but are designed to limit consumption by drinkers "who don't want to set their own limits."
Mike Shymka, with the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association, says the changes should make closing times outside of bars a lot more peaceful.