St. John's council not considering change to George Street closing times

St. John's city council voted on recommendations to cut down on the crime rate, including considering changing hours of operation for George Street bars on the popular downtown strip.

However, after discussion with the George Street Association Monday, council decided not to pursue trying to change bar closing times.

The association was worried closing George Street businesses earlier than other establishments in the city would create an unfair disadvantage for its members.

Council will move forward with a report from the mayor's advisory committee on crime prevention, with the exception of hours of operation.

During debate at Monday night's meeting, some councillors said any change to bar hours would be a provincial government responsibility.

According to council, the main issue is crowd dispersal when bars close.

Coun. Tom Hann said regardless of when bars close there will always be a dispersal issue, so changing the hour won't make a difference.

Hann added he thinks there should be more police presence and foot patrols on George Street to curb crime.

Meanwhile, city staff will review other pieces in the report from the committee, including restricting cabs and mobile vendors to other sections of the downtown area.