Pedal pubs can soon serve alcohol in select Ontario cities, province says

The Ontario government has announced it will allow alcohol to be served on large quadricycles, better known as pedal pubs, starting on July 1. 

The change would apply to pedal pubs with an alcohol license in Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ottawa and Windsor with room for 12 or more people, according to a news release from the Attorney General of Ontario issued Friday.

Alex Di Lello, the general manager of Pedal Pub Toronto, told CBC Toronto he got emotional hearing the news. 

"I jumped up out of my chair. I almost started crying," he said, adding that potential customers would often call to ask whether they can bring booze on the bike.

"We say, well, there's actually no alcohol on the bike, but we take you to three bars. And before I can finish my sentence, they hang up. So it definitely sounds like having alcohol on the bike is going to be a huge, huge, huge factor for us."

Pedal pubs are only able to operate in municipalities with bylaws that allow them, the release said. Municipalities can set local rules, such as having specific routes or hours of operation, to make sure they don't cause disruptions or worsen traffic.

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow said she has no concerns about the move at an unrelated event Friday.

"People were saying that drinking in parks is going to be terrible. I see no dramatic negative impact, other than people having a good time or that they don't have to hide it in a paper bag," she said, referring to the city's move to permanently allow drinking in some parks last summer. 

Province keen to boost alcohol industry

The province launched a 10-year pilot program for pedal pubs back in 2022, but they were not allowed to serve alcohol up until now. 

The release says the move is meant to support small businesses and encourage local tourism in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty 

"Beginning this summer, Ontario is supporting a unique opportunity that will not only stimulate tourism and bring communities together, but also protect local jobs, our economy and small businesses across the province," Attorney General Doug Downey said in a statement. 

The alcohol license application process will open next month and is one of several recent moves by the Ford government to boost the alcohol industry. 

The province allowed alcohol to be sold in convenience stores in September and announced plans in May to spend hundreds of millions to support grape farmers, wineries, distilleries and craft breweries.

In an unrelated news conference, Liberal MPP Adil Shamji said the government should care less about alcohol and more on things like the cost of living or health care wait times. 

"It's perplexing to me that they're choosing to focus on this," he said.