Some local bar owners are welcoming signs that Ontario may relax its bar closing hours.

The province is reacting to a British Columbia court decision that pushes closing time to 4 a.m.

The Ministry of Consumer and Business Services says it's studying the court decision and wants to modernize liquor rules.

John Howard owns the Royal Oak pubs and he thinks the extended hours will improve the situation at closing time.

"It'll be staggered and you won't get this accumulation of people and a lot of people who are binge drinking in the last half-hour 'cause they know the bar's closing and they are not ready to go home," says Howard. "So you get them out at closing time if you stagger that over several hours, it's a good thing."

Bar owners in Gatineau say longer bar hours in Ottawa would be good news for them. They say such a change could allow the city to abandon a law from the former city of Hull that forces bars to respect Ottawa's 2 a.m. closing time.