Legal Drinking Age in All Provinces
The legal drinking age in Canada is not the same across the country; Each province or territory has its own rules. Chronology of age changes for drinking or laws restricting access to alcohol for minors: In the 1970s, the drinking age was adjusted to the age of majority (18), but Ontario and Saskatchewan were the first to increase the limit to 19 to combat a notable increase in alcohol consumption among high school students. The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age at which alcohol can be legally consumed may differ from the age at which it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary from country to country and many laws provide for exceptions or special circumstances. Most laws only apply to alcohol consumption in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home generally unregulated (an exception is the UK, which has a legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic beverages. [1] Most countries have a legal drinking age of 18 or 19. [2] The age of majority in Canada is 18, so provinces such as Alberta have chosen to make the legal drinking age coincide with 18 to coincide with when individuals are legally recognized as adults. In this sense, governments take into account two factors when choosing the legal drinking age: the age of majority and the harmful effects of alcohol consumption.
Section 78 of the Children`s Act – No person shall sell, lend, give, supply, provide or offer liquor to children under 16 years of age unless there is a written order signed by the parent or guardian of the child known to that person. The police have a duty to confiscate any alcoholic beverage in the possession of a child under the age of 16 without the written consent of parents or guardians. [38] It is technically legal for minors to possess and consume alcohol at home and in public (not on authorized premises), as there is no law prohibiting it. It is also technically legal for someone to buy alcohol and give it to minors outside the store or licensed establishments. [104] Police may search minors in public places and confiscate or destroy alcoholic beverages in their possession. Incidents are reported to the legal guardian and child protection services, who may be involved in child protection proceedings. In addition, a fine is imposed on persons aged 15 and over. [167] The consumption of alcohol in public places is generally prohibited, regardless of the weather (in some provinces and territories, this is still not enforced) unless authorized by the appropriate municipal authorities. In Quebec, the consumption of low-alcohol beverages is permitted in public if they are accompanied by food. All provinces and territories prohibit drinking and driving, with Ontario and Quebec also prohibiting the possession of open, non-empty containers in stationary vehicles.
We know that the police in Canada are very discreet in public consumption because of the extent of public unrest. The most recent legal age in the world is 15, with Mali and the Central African Republic currently allowing alcohol consumption. Seven countries do not have state-mandated drinking age, while 11 countries ban alcohol consumption altogether. According to the study, increasing the drinking age to 19 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec would prevent seven deaths of 18-year-old men each year. Raising the drinking age to 21 across the country would prevent 32 annual deaths of adolescent males aged 18 to 20. A 2014 Canadian study even found that if the drinking age were raised to 19 in Canada, about seven 18-year-old men would be prevented from dying each year. Currently, the legal drinking age is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec and 19 in the rest of the country. Using national data on deaths in Canada from 1980 to 2009, researchers examined the causes of death of those who died between the ages of 16 and 22. They found that immediately after the legal drinking age, male deaths from injuries rose sharply by 10 to 16 percent, and male deaths from car accidents suddenly increased by 13 to 15 percent. Under the Canadian Constitution, the responsibility for making laws and regulations relating to the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages in Canada rests solely with the ten provinces. The three Canadian territories have also been granted similar autonomy in these matters under the provisions of federal legislation. In the 1970s, provincial and state policymakers in Canada and the United States switched to lower MLDAs (set at 21 in most provinces, territories and states) to coincide with the age of judicial majority – usually 18.
As a result, MLDAs have been reduced in all Canadian provinces [and] in more than half of U.S. states. In Canada, however, two provinces, Ontario (1979) and Saskatchewan (1976), rapidly increased their subsequent AOMLs from ages 18 to 19 in response to some studies showing a link between lowering the drinking age and increasing alcohol-related harms among adolescents and young adults, including increases in motor vehicle crashes and alcohol poisoning among high school students. Following the reduction of AMRs in the United States, research conducted in several states provided convincing evidence of a sharp increase in fatal and non-fatal traffic accident rates that occurred immediately after the introduction of a lower age for drinking. These scientific discoveries increased public pressure on legislators to increase MLDAs, and in response, the federal government introduced the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which required a reduction in highway funding for states if they did not increase their MLDA to 21. All states complied and introduced a 21-year MLDA in 1988. [39] Studies have shown that as the legal drinking age increases, car accidents and alcohol use among teens decrease. Based on the results of the study, it is estimated that if the drinking age were raised to 19 nationwide, about seven 18-year-old men would be saved from death each year. If the limit were raised to 21 years, it is estimated that 32 lives per year would be saved. Ontario and Saskatchewan initially lowered the legal drinking age to 18, but raised it to 19 in the late 1970s, after the legal drinking age for minors increased. Prince Edward Island followed in 1987. In Canada, there is no state-defined age for the legal purchase or consumption of alcohol.
Each province and territory can set its own minimum drinking age. The legal age for purchase is:[13] The legal drinking age is 18 in Abu Dhabi (although a Ministry of Tourism regulation allows hotels to serve alcohol only to people over 21) and 21 in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (except Sharjah, where alcohol consumption is prohibited). [113] More recently, Canadian provinces have also introduced different legal age limits for cannabis use, ranging from 18 in Alberta to 21 in Quebec in October 2019.