REGINA — As Saskatchewan and Ontario have made efforts to improve inter-provincial trade, a Regina business believes this isn’t addressing bigger challenges.
On Sunday, Ont. Premier Doug Ford and Sask. Premier Scott Moe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the removal of trade barriers across the two jurisdictions.
One area of focus from the MOU is alcohol sales. Previously, alcohol from Ont. couldn’t be sold and shipped to someone in Sask. Rather, individuals could bring back beer purchased in Ont. for personal consumption, provided it is not for resale or trade.
While Mark Heise, CEO of Rebellion Brewing, said removing barriers is always a good thing, he believes “it really doesn't address the bigger provincial challenges around alcohol distribution.“
Heise described Ont. process for selling out-of-province beer as closed off. While the Liquor Control Board of Ont. (LCBO) does allow regulated beer from Sask., Heise said it's typically only when they’re accepting new listings.
Other provinces, including Sask. and Alberta, require following the guidelines from the respective liquor authorities. But, there isn’t a cap to the number of products allowed to be sold in the two provinces, said Heise.
In Heise's mind, sending beer to an out-of-province customer doesn’t make any sense from a quality standpoint.
“Good quality beer should be kept cold, and should be consumed fresh, obviously, shipping something across Canada in the middle of summer is not the best way to do that.”
He also noted the consumer cost of shipping beer out of province.
“If I want to order a case of beer, it's going to cost me $100 from shipping.“
Heise said liquor stores across Canada should look into selling other Canadian products as a priority over international alcohol.
He also doesn’t believe this would create any harm for local breweries.
“Consumers have that deep attachment to those local folks like we do here.“
EDR's response
In a statement to SaskToday, EDR CEO Chris Lane welcomed the announcement.
“Any time we can break down trade barriers – whether between provinces or across international borders – we are taking a positive step forward. This new agreement between Saskatchewan and Ontario is particularly timely.“
He added, “with global trade uncertainty lingering, we need strong domestic partnerships that make it easier to move goods, capital, and people within Canada.“
