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Surrey council permits second hair salon to serve liquor

This one is in Cloverdale, the first was in South Surrey last May
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Surrey city council chambers. (File photo)

Surrey council has approved a second hair salon’s request to serve liquor to its customers, this one in Cloverdale.

It did so on a five-four vote following the last public hearing before the Christmas break, with Safe Surrey Coalition members Mayor McCallum and councillors Doug Elford, Allison Patton, Laurie Guerra and Mandeep Nagra voting in favour and councillors Linda Annis, Jack Hundial, Brenda Locke and Steven Pettigrew voting against.

This latest application, for a salon at 17796 65A Ave. owned by Bayshore Canada Ventures ULC, involved rezoning the site from business park zone to comprehensive development zone to permit liquor service at The Warehouse Hair Co. hair salon and also sought a liquor primary licence for the business for a maximum capacity of 25 people, operating from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.

“I find it odd that they would be putting a liquor primary, that’s a pretty significant liquor licence to have in a place that’s only ancillary,” Locke said, “so I won’t be supporting that. I probably would have if it wasn’t a liquor primary but I’m not going to support a primary licence in that kind of facility.”

READ ALSO: Surrey council gives OK for barber shop to serve booze

Council decided last May, amid blistering opposition, to permit a South Surrey barber shop to serve liquor. In that case, applicant TPC Holdings Ltd. asked for a liquor primary license for the Trendzone Barber Shop. at Unit 110 3211-152 St., to serve liquor as an “added service for customers,” proposing a maximum occupant load of 25 people with proposed hours of operation for alcohol service from 11 a.m. to no later than 9 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.

Clayton resident Debbie Johnstone said at the Dec. 21 public hearing that she finds it “alarming” that the Safe Surrey Coalition has put “its eggs in this basket while our public safety is in jeopardy. Yeah, let’s give the liquor licence to the hairdresser but no way are we going to hire any additional RCMP officers. Not one in two years, Mr. McCallum, just where the heck are your priorities, sir?”

Annie Kaps, a resident of Cedar Hills, said she’s “worried” about the precedent council set by approving the liquor licence for the barber shop in May, which was also approved on a five-to-four vote.

“There must be I don’t know how many hair salons in Surrey,” she told council. “And then there’s all the nail salons, and all the spas, and the massage parlors. And then is it the gyms next?

“That’s what you’re opening up, you opened that up in May, and if there is equitable treatment of everyone in Surrey, then every one of those salons, etcetera, should be treated with respect and without having to go to a whole bunch of rigmarole through bylaws.”

Marilyn Smith, of Whalley, spoke against the latest application, calling it “another liquor licence in yet another weird spot.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate,” she said.



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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