‘The best of a bad situation:’ Saskatoon nightclub reacts to new COVID-19 ‘curfew’ at local establishments

“When you’re under our roof, we’re responsible for you.”

Those were the words of Joe Jackson, the general manager of PiNK Nightclub in Saskatoon on Wednesday, less than an hour after the province’s announcement about shrinking Saskatoon’s establishment hours. He says he sees the decision in two very different ways.

“There’s Businessman Joe side of me that says, ‘This is absolutely horrible. This will take a huge chunk out of our revenue,’ and then my inner mom says, ‘This is the right decision,’ ” Jackson said.

Typically, bars in Saskatoon give their last call for alcohol at 2 a.m., but starting Friday that will change to 10 p.m. Nightclubs and bars will no longer be able to operate past 11 p.m.

No timeframe was given from the province as to how long the restrictions will last.

“We are responsible for (just) a huge swath of other people’s kids when you think about it,” Jackson continued.

“Part of that is not just implementing COVID regulations, it’s also making sure you’re within the SLGA regulations, as well … Let’s fight this COVID pandemic. (Let’s) hammer this out the best we can.”

At Jackson’s establishment, he said owners had recently shifted hours to be open earlier, operating more as a sit-down pub for the after-work crowd.

He said he saw these restrictions coming, to an extent.

“We’ve been (building) our contingency plans off of large-city venues. I’ve been following bars and nightclubs in Vancouver, Toronto … just seeing what they’ve done, and how they’ve rolled with the punches,” Jackson said.

“Compared to a 28-day shutdown, it’s the best of a bad situation.”

The province also recommended patrons stick to a single establishment, with bar-hopping not recommended.

The “curfew” now, as Jackson called it, is also bringing up another aspect to operations.

“Ten o’clock, 11 is usually when we’re just starting to put our glad rags on and do up our hair to go out,” he explained.

He said patrons are free to come out, and enjoy a night at his establishment — even with the reduced hours. At the same time, he understands if the new hours don’t fit into some schedules.

“The bottom line is we all have to do our part,” he said.