Coming soon to Ontario: all-you-can-drink vacation packages and freedom from the tyranny of beer tents at festivals?

Even tailgating parties could be in the offing.

The province is asking for feedback on loosening liquor laws. Everything from removing the need for beer gardens or penned-in drinking areas at licensed public events to allowing all-inclusive deals at Ontario resorts.

Public consultations will start soon and last for nearly 30 days, Attorney General Chris Bentley said Wednesday.

The Liberals, facing a tough election battle Oct. 6 amid charges they are too paternalistic, hope to have the changes in place in time for summer.

“We’ve heard from Ontarians and they are ready for more freedom,” Bentley said. “Hearing from the public is essential. We’ll have a website, an email address and we’ll travel to different parts of the province for these.”

Caribbean countries all have food, beverage and accommodation packages, and now Ontario would as well, added Tourism Minister Michael Chan.

“We wanted a level playing field so we can attract those international tourists,” Chan said.

While Bentley is calling the easing of alcohol laws an “evolution not a revolution,” he said the government is not willing to go the full distance and allow beer and wine to be sold at the local corner store.

“That isn’t what this is about,” he said. “There is a great deal of confidence in the LCBO.”

Bentley wouldn’t rule out tailgating parties, a cultural phenomenon in the United States, largely during football season.

“We are open to advice on the tailgating issue,” he said. “That is why we are having a consultation so we can hear about the issues raised.”

The changes the government plan to shop around the province include extending the hours that booze can be served at special events such as weddings or charity fundraisers from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. and allowing people to circulate in retail booth areas of festivals with alcoholic drinks.

The move to amend provincial liquor laws comes weeks after Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak mused about bringing back buck-a-bottle beer by lowering the floor price charged to consumers.

Premier Dalton McGuinty shot that idea down, calling it a “shiny bauble” designed to distract voters.

Speaking in Vaughan on Wednesday, McGuinty denied that the unexpected proposal to amend liquor laws is meant to fix his image as “Premier Dad.”

“We’re just kind of growing up a little bit as Ontarians, and we bring a more progressive and enlightened approach with respect to the use of alcohol,” McGuinty said.

“It’s something that people are comfortable with. We’ll see what the reaction is on these things, but I think it’s also good for tourism,” he added.

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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said it sounds like the Liberals think beer is the most important political issue to be dealt with at the moment.

“It wasn’t so long ago they were mocking another political party that was talking about beer as the latest shiny object to be distracted by. It looks like they are distracted by that same shiny object” she said.

Voters aren’t talking about easing alcohol restrictions, Horwath said.

“I don’t hear about beer as a top of mind issue … but I do hear about the affordability of everyday life, rising prices at the gas pumps and heating bills going up,” she said.

However, restaurant and bar owners were thrilled with the prospects of easing the liquor laws.

At Mezes in Toronto’s Greektown, restaurant operator Tony Pethakas said this is “extremely beneficial” to the service industry.

“This gives the consumers a chance to be a bit more free and allow them to enjoy different areas of Toronto like the Danforth,” he said.

The Taste of the Danforth street festival draws approximately one million people each summer.

“There is nothing wrong with them enjoying the people walking by on the streets with a glass of wine or a single drink in their hand,” Pethakas said.

But Progressive Conservative MPP Ted Chudleigh said the booze changes are just an “election-geared” ploy. “This is six months before the election,” he said. “I doubt whether the Legislature will sit until the end of April.”

The minister said there may be some requirement for legislation. And if that is the case, “this won’t see the light of day until after the election.”

With files from Robert Benzie

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