Responding to a request from Restaurants Canada( Click to view request) the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has approved the start of service at 9:00 am for liquor licensees during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 14- July 15, 2018.
This has been done in the past for major events that occur in other time zones putting the event outside of the service hours in Ontario.
While this does not require municipal approval, individual municipalities can object to the extension and not allow for the extension. To date, we have heard of no objections, but you should check the AGCO website for the most up to date information, or by contacting your municipality directly. The City of Toronto has already approved a motion to allow these changes in Toronto.
This extension includes all licensed areas (including patios) and is effective on all days between June 14 and July 15, even if there is no early game scheduled.
There is no obligation to extend service hours, just the opportunity should an operator chose. In the past, there were no issues arising from extended service hours.
For more information, please refer to the AGCO notice [link], the FAQ [link], or the AGCO website [ http://agco.ca/alcohol/extension-hours-2018-fifa-world-cup ].