Your kids might be serving you drinks next
You know how Saskatoon is — we like our community, we like our local businesses, and we like our… *ahem*… "refreshments" at the end of a long day. So when I heard about this new proposal, my eyebrow just went straight up like, "Wait, seriously?" Hospitality Saskatchewan's CEO is out here suggesting that teenagers, as young as 14, should be able to clear and even deliver alcoholic drinks to tables. My people, can you imagine? Fourteens, doing rounds at your favourite spot on Broadway Avenue, bringing you your pint. It’s wild, truly.
Okay, so this is actually wild. The proposal isn't about letting minors *serve* alcohol, like pour the drinks or mix cocktails, but rather to bring them to the table and clear away empties. The idea is to help restaurants and bars with staffing shortages, which, look, is a very real issue across the city, especially coming out of the past few years. Every time one of my favourite spots closes – remember that little place near the Farmers' Market that made the best pierogi? – my heart breaks a little. So, I get that businesses are struggling to find help, but 14-year-olds in a bar? That's a new one.
### What This Means for Saskatoon
Here’s the thing, this isn't just a Regina problem or a rural issue. This directly affects every restaurant, every pub, and frankly, every family in Saskatoon.
* **For Businesses:** It could offer a new pool of labour, easing the pressure many establishments feel, from those fancy spots downtown to the casual family diners in Stonebridge. * **For Teens:** It opens up job opportunities for young people, which is great for building work ethic and getting a start. But are we really ready for grade nine students handling your beer? * **For Patrons:** This is where it gets interesting. How comfortable are you with a minor handling your adult beverages, even if they aren't technically serving them?
Saskatoon is a city that will invite you to a farm-to-table dinner and then make you defend the concept of a city for twenty minutes, but this proposal feels like it's walking a very fine line. We love our local businesses, and we want them to thrive, but this might be a step too far for some of us who remember being 14 and couldn't even keep track of our own backpack, let alone a tray of drinks. It definitely makes you think about those summer nights on the riverbank, or even just grabbing a quick bite after a Blades game, and what the atmosphere might become.
Saskatoon — seven bridges, two rivers, and something happening you haven't heard about yet.
Blessing.
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