1957 Alberta Liquor Plebiscite

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The 1957 Alberta Liquor Plebiscite was a province-wide plebiscite conducted in Alberta, Canada, on October 30, 1957. Unlike some other plebiscites held in Alberta, this one was not held in conjunction with a provincial election. The plebiscite asked voters in every district if they were in favour of adding extra outlets in which to purchase liquor from the Alberta Liquor Control Board.

In Calgary, and Edmonton, as well as parts of Gliechen, Banff-Cochrane and Cloverbar, that resided within the Calgary and Edmonton city limits, a second question was put on the ballot asking if mixed drinking should be allowed in beer parlours, i.e., whether men and women should be allowed to drink together in bars.

The province-wide question on new liquor store locations saw mixed results across the province: more conservative rural areas voted overwhelmingly against, and urban areas voted overwhelmingly for. After the votes were counted, the "for" side won the plebiscite by a wide margin. The second question of mixed drinking passed with an almost 4 to 1 margin. This was the second province-wide plebiscite in Alberta's history, and cost the province $355,309.62 to run.

[edit] Plebiscite results

First question: asked province-wide.
Do you approve additional types of outlets for the sale of beer, wine and spirituous liquor subject to a local vote?
For	Against
171,786 63.92%	96,961 36.08%
Second question: asked only in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton
Should mixed drinking be allowed in beer parlours in Edmonton and Calgary and the surrounding areas?
For	Against
99,150 78.53%	27,203 21.47%