Liquor ban kept in one vote, lifted in another

One of Manitoba's two remaining "dry" communities voted by a narrow margin to keep its liquor ban in a referendum Wednesday, while another community decided to lift it.

In a close referendum held Wednesday, residents in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, located near Steinbach, Man., 29 more votes were cast against having liquor served in restaurants, with the final tally being 1,320 againstto 1,291 in favour.

Despite the vote, liquoris soldat an outlet in the municipality, and residents can continue to apply for occasional permits for special events.

Meanwhile, the results of a similar plebiscite in the Rural Municipality of Stanley, near Winkler, saw 661 voting in favour of allowing liquor sales, while 540 voted against.

Both rural municipalities are located on Manitoba's so-called "Bible Belt" in the province's south-central region.

The Hanover referendum came up when a local restaurant asked to be allowed to serve liquor so it can compete with businesses in Steinbach, which voted in a controversial 2003 plebiscite to lift its 30-year ban on liquor.

In Stanley, the council did not even know they had a liquor ban until a local developer pointed to an old municipal law stating liquor could not be sold.