GrainsWest Winter 2017

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Liquor Control and Licensing Branch
(LCLB) and the Saskatchewan Liquor and
Gaming Authority (SLGA). Both the LCLB
and SLGA can decline applications for
out-of-province listings as they see fit,
giving them complete control over what
beers are on the market at any given
time. As a result, Alberta breweries that
apply to be listed in these provinces are
often turned down and many don’t even
bother applying in the first place.
“In a perfect world, we don’t have
these ridiculous interprovincial trade
barriers that allow a brewery to set up in
B.C. and have full access to the B.C. and
Alberta markets, but not have Alberta
breweries be able to compete in B.C.,”
Rock said.
Bredo agreed, adding that Alberta’s
system for promoting local beer
(increasing markups and offering grants)
might be different than Saskatchewan’s
or B.C.’s (restricting market access for
imports), but the end result is the same.
“Those are the guys who started
the fight, we’re just playing by their
rules,” Bredo said. “But when you read
the headlines and see some of their
perspectives, they think we’re the bad
guys.”
Despite the legal challenges that have
been launched, Rock is confident the
new system will stand up to scrutiny,
especially when it is compared to
regulations that exist in other provinces.
“Everything that I’ve read suggests that
this is the most trade-compliant system
in the country. So if there’s a challenge to
what Alberta is doing, that is a challenge
to every province,” Rock said. “It doesn’t
matter who you are, you can sell your
beer in Alberta, and that is simply not the
case in every other province. That has to
be factored into this whole thing.”
room to improve
Although the changes to Alberta’s beer
policy have had a largely positive impact
on Alberta breweries, they have also had
some minor drawbacks.
“With the grant, it does alter the
cash flow of the company, just because
they’re holding on to the money for a
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