WHEREAS winery lounges situated within the Agricultural Land Reserve ALR are restricted from selling wine that has been produced off-site, as well as beer and other spirits manufactured and bottled in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS allowing the sale of wine produced off-site, beers and other spirits manufactured and bottled in British Columbia in winery lounges currently is seen to require a Food Primary Liquor Licence, the approval of the Agricultural Land Commission ALC, and possible bylaw amendment by local government: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Agricultural Land Reserve Use, Subdivision and Procedure Regulation and the Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation be amended to allow for the sale or service of wine, beer and spirits manufactured and grown in British Columbia in winery lounges as a permitted farm use in the ALR.
Ministry of Justice Ministry of Agriculture Parliamentary Secretary John Yap has completed a review of liquor policy and BCs liquor laws and submitted his report to the Honourable Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice on November 25, 2013. The goal of his review was to identify balanced, common-sense solutions that improve consumer convenience and grow BCs economy, while keeping health and public safety in mind. One of Mr. Yaps recommendations addressed this resolution. He recommended Government should consult with the Agricultural Land Commission about amending the Agricultural Land Commission Act regulations to allow manufacturers to sell liquor for on-premise consumption that was not produced on site. Mr. Yaps report will be forwarded to Cabinet in early 2014 for their consideration and publicly released afterwards.