Latest news with #NSLC
CBC
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nova Scotia to survey public on expanding retail sale of alcohol
Nova Scotia has announced a month-long public survey as it considers expanding alcohol sales to various retail outlets like corner stores. Finance Minister John Lohr says examining how alcohol is sold and consumed makes sense as the province moves to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers. The province will survey 1,500 Nova Scotians over the age of 19 starting this week. It will also gather feedback on the types of stores where alcohol can be sold, locations where people can drink alcohol and health considerations related to any changes. Alcohol is currently served at over 300 retail locations in the province. They include Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation stores, private wine and specialty stores and on-site stores at breweries, wineries and farmers markets.
CBC
18-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Why red tape makes it impractical for N.S. bar to bring in wine from Ontario vineyard
Andrew Connell wants to bring in an Ontario wine to the Halifax bar he co-owns, but he says the legislated process makes it impractical. To get wine from Rosewood Estates Winery in the Niagara region, Connell can't contact the vineyard directly. Instead, he has to do a special order through the NSLC. "Why there needs to be a middleman in that scenario, I'm not really sure, especially one that's going to increase the cost of that product and damage our margins," said the Bar Stillwell co-owner. The general manager of the Ontario vineyard that Connell wants to get wine from is equally bothered by the process. William Roman said they would have to discount their products substantially to sell it to the NSLC, who would in turn mark it up and then sell it to Stillwell. "The whole chain doesn't make any sense," Roman told CBC's Hanomansing Tonight. "The only people who are benefiting is the actual government board." This Canadian business owner wants interprovincial trade barriers lifted | Hanomansing Tonight 11 days ago Duration 4:45 William Roman, general manager of Rosewood Estates Winery & Meadery in Ontario, is calling for interprovincial trade barriers to be lifted in the wake of U.S. tariffs. The situation is an example of how interprovincial trade barriers play out in real life. "We should be able to buy and sell products from Ontario in exactly the same way that we do with products in Nova Scotia," said Connell. Why some alcohol purchases must go through the NSLC The reason Stillwell has to follow this process is because of the Liquor Control Act, which governs the sale of alcohol in Nova Scotia. Any changes that would allow producers from other provinces to ship directly to Nova Scotia licensees such as Stillwell would require legislative, regulatory and policy changes. To become a reality, other provinces or territories would need to adopt similar legislation. Houston said earlier this month that Ontario is the province most supportive of Nova Scotia's idea. In a statement, Nova Scotia Finance Department spokesperson Heather Fairbairn said importing and selling alcohol in Nova Scotia needs to be managed safely and responsibly. She said the province is committed to making interprovincial trade easier. "Implementation details would be worked out in regulations once reciprocal trade agreements with other provinces are in place," she wrote. Stillwell is predominantly a beer bar showcasing local beer, but it also brings in beer from other provinces and other countries. Maritime Beer Accord Under something known as the Maritime Beer Accord, Stillwell can buy beer directly from microbreweries in New Brunswick and P.E.I. However, to bring in Canadian beer from non-Maritime provinces, Stillwell must go through the NSLC. By having a middleman, it inflates the costs consumers pay at the tap, Connell said. "I think customers can see that they're not getting the same value from those beers and we certainly aren't making the same margin, even the necessary margin, that we need to operate," said Connell.
CBC
04-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
How Nova Scotia is clapping back against Trump tariffs
Doubling tolls at the Cobequid Pass for commercial vehicles from the U.S., removing American products from NSLC shelves, and barring American companies from bidding on provincial contracts are among the steps Nova Scotia is taking. Taryn Grant has the story.
CBC
09-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Trump tariff talk boosts N.S. craft beer business
Social Sharing Nova Scotia craft breweries have seen increased demand for their products since U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, but they wonder if the extra support will last. Andrew Tanner, president of the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia and the founder of Saltbox Brewing in Bridgewater, said customers are making a point of visiting breweries and telling staff they're there to support local businesses. "We've been very lucky to have very loyal, local customers ... but I think the urgency of the support may perhaps wane a bit as this is not as fresh in people's minds," said Tanner. When it appeared the tariffs were going to be put in place, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston ordered that the NSLC remove all American alcohol from its shelves as part of the province's response. However, because this order applied to products made, manufactured and/or produced in the U.S., this would exclude beers that people may perceive as American, such as Budweiser or Coors. That's because those products sold here are brewed in Canada. In Halifax, the Oland Brewery is part of the global beer company Anheuser-Busch InBev. It produces beers such as Budweiser and Bud Light. The company did not respond to a request for information about how many people the plant employs. Tanner said craft brewers in the province have always had a consistent message for residents. "Support the folks that are creating jobs in your local rural communities or Halifax and all that money is staying in the local communities,'" he said. "And … we're huge supporters of charitable organizations and fundraising events." According to the NSLC's second-quarter financial results, Nova Scotia craft beer sales represented 16 per cent of beer sales. Craft brewers looking for more shelf space at NSLC While there was a 4.1 per cent increase in local beer sales, "beer sales overall were flat," NSLC spokesperson Terah McKinnon wrote in an email. Tanner said brewers have been pushing for more shelf space at NSLC locations, especially given the market share has increased for local craft beer. McKinnon said the NSLC lists products by 35 local beer producers. "Over the past few years, the number of local beer producers carried in stores has continued to increase, as well as the number of listings and amount of shelf space dedicated to these products," she said. "These efforts ensure access to and representation of the products Nova Scotians want to buy." McKinnon said the NSLC works closely with associations and individual producers to provide coaching and support on how to do business with the liquor corporation and get products to market.
