On a cool, spring afternoon, locals fall into the Raymond Senior Center just off the city’s quiet main street. The crowd has come to discuss an issue that has long been decided in other parts of the country: whether the city’s restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol. After a speech by the city council, there are warnings about the dangers of immersion. there is concern for the youth. Some say it’s not great – it’s finally the 21st century. Others, like Chonita Sims, do not want to be part of a city that serves drinks to its people. “I feel that if we are going to open this door, we will never be able to close it again.” What is clear is that the debate goes beyond whether we will serve a drink or not. strikes the very identity of the city of southern Alberta. Raymond is home to about 4,200 people. (Jennifer Dorozio / CBC)
Raymond, a cohesive rural community about 250 miles southeast of Calgary, has been dry since its founding in 1903. These days, you can drink in the city. You just can not buy alcohol there. The public engagement meeting between the city council and city residents last week was the second of its kind in recent weeks. This is not the first time that the alcohol debate has emerged in the history of the city, but it may be the first time that something has changed. When the Alberta ban expired in 1924, some municipalities voted in favor of maintaining the ban in liquor stores and other licensed facilities. This included the area around Raymond. Kiddle, who is the president of the Raymond and District Historical Society, stands next to several local settlers at the Raymond Pioneer Museum. (Jennifer Dorozio / CBC)
Now, this ban could end in the city due to a combination of changes in provincial regulations and the appetite of some local restaurants to start serving alcohol. The city says it will only consider licenses for Class A spirits, ie a restaurant with a first meal where minors are allowed. City Council wants to hear from Raymond residents before voting on whether to amend the land use regulation to allow a licensed restaurant.

Why the ban stuck

Raymond’s long tenure is rooted in three things: the region’s prolonged prohibition laws, restrictions on land titles in the city, and deep community beliefs. After the end of the ban across the province a century ago, municipalities were able to weigh the issue through what was called a local ballot. “It was up to the locals to decide for themselves if they wanted to apply for a local ballot,” said Sarah Hamill, an assistant professor of law at Trinity College Dublin who has studied Alberta bans. Depending on the outcome of the vote, a community would either stay dry or not. Raymond chose to remain dry under a ban until June 2020. It was then that the last of these old bans were repealed by the county government under a general purpose bill. “Raymond is no longer a forbidden community, it is just an unlicensed community,” said Curtis Pratt, the city’s chief executive. The nearby towns of Cardston and Magrath are also making gradual changes to allow alcohol to be served. The village of Stirling, northeast of Raymond, is still far from selling alcohol.

A man named Jesse Knight

Although the general ban on serving alcoholic beverages and spirits has been lifted, other restrictions remain, older than the Alberta ban. When Raymond was created, a wealthy silver miner named Jesse Knight donated much of the land that now forms the city, said Richard Kiddle, president of the Raymond and District Historical Society. “[He] “He was encouraged by the church to come and share his resources and settle in the area up here,” Kiddle said. Indeed, religion is an important part of history. A copy of the 1894 Land Title Act and a photograph of Jesse Knight, a large Raymond town benefactor, at the Raymond Pioneer Museum. (Jennifer Dorozio / CBC)
The people who built Raymond were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Kiddle, a member of the church himself. He says abstinence from alcohol was part of Raymond’s “code of conduct.” “It was something that … they wanted to continue for their families, the same tradition, and we hope that the children and their families will stay away as well,” he said. Knight built the sugar beet factory in the area and, over time, his portfolio company acquired thousands of acres of land in the area. When he finally left the land in the city, he made restrictive wills. The phrase varies, but an example from 1894 stated that “no building, scene, or erection … shall be used or occupied at any time as a place where intoxicants are sold, exchanged, or exchanged, either on leave or otherwise.” These wills still exist in the majority of the land in Raymond. The city council plans not to remove them. They say it would be a time consuming and costly process. Instead, they would consider alcohol license applications only in areas not covered by this protection.

“It is not a dry city”

Now, Raymond is at a crossroads. Gillian Eaves attended last week’s public hearing on alcohol licensing. He grew up in Raymond and now lives in Stirling. Her business, Cowboy Bistro, is one of the local shops that intends to seek a drink license. He said he did not want the city to have a liquor store or bar, but wanted restaurants to be able to serve alcohol, adding that “we just want integration”. Eaves says people are passionate about the city’s heritage and the “dry state” but that, in fact, people will still enjoy it. “It’s not a dry city. I grew up here,” he said with a laugh. Chonita Sims, left, opposes the idea of ​​licensing restaurants to serve alcohol in the city. Town Coun. Kelly Jensen says Raymond is more than just his drinking attitude. (Jennifer Dorozio / CBC)
Sheva Whitehead, who has lived in Raymond for two decades, told the same public meeting that she loves her city but wants to see it grow beyond her dry identity. “Raymond is a really great city, but we have that bubble mentality,” he said. On the other hand, Chonita Sims does not want to see alcohol sold here. In fact, it’s one of the reasons he moved to Raymond decades ago. “This was our culture, our heritage, and I really do not want to lose it. It is a point of attraction for the people in our community,” he said. Coun. Kelly Jensen, who has lived in the city for almost four decades, says it is a controversial issue in the city because it is linked to people’s personal values ​​and personal experiences with alcohol. For her, Raymond’s appeal does not lie in his non-alcoholic attitude but in the strength of his community. It is a place, he says, where people feel safe having their children play, wander and walk to school. “I think the biggest thing is the fear of the unknown, the fear of change.” CBC Calgary has set up an office in Lethbridge to help you tell your stories from southern Alberta to reporter Jennifer Dorozio. You can send ideas and tips for history to [email protected]