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Liquor Law Reform in Canada
In the 1920s, as Prohibition in Canada was on the retreat, the federal government and each of the provincial governments were in agreement that liquor sales and consumption needed to be tightly controlled. To facilitate this agenda each province created a liquor control board that monopolized the wholesale purchasing, pricing, and retailing of alcoholic beverages under a heavily regulated regime.
Liquor Law Appeals Part 1 – Judicial Review
British Columbia’s liquor licensing regime is administered by the general manager – an individual appointed under the Public Service Act by the cabinet minister responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch, which is currently part of the Ministry of Small Business portfolio. The general manager, and the staff he or she delegates powers and responsibilities to, have significant impact on the way liquor laws are developed and applied in British Columbia.
How to Lose your Liquor Licence for 15 days
On May 20, 2016 the general manager of the Liquor Licensing and Control Branch issued its decision in Re Caprice Hospitality Inc. dba Caprice Nightclub ordering a 15 day suspension of the popular Vancouver nightclub’s liquor primary licence. The decision can be found here.
Gangsters and Strippers and Liquor Law: The Story of Famous Flesh Gordon’s
Alcohol & Advocacy has previously considered what it means to be a fit and proper person for the purpose of holding a liquor licence in British Columbia: the criteria are broad and the discretion is great. Many of the criteria relate to an assessment of what the licence applicant has actually done, such as having a criminal record or committing violations of the Liquor Control and Licensing Act. But what about the less objective criteria – such as being “of good reputation and character” or being “associated” with people involved in criminal activities? How do regulators interpret those requirements?
Top Ten Liquor Laws from 1921
On October 1, 1917 British Columbia “went dry”, giving way to the pressure of the temperance movement sweeping the nation. Less than four years later the ineffective and corrupt Prohibition regime came to an end on June 15, 1921 when an Act to provide for Government Control and Sale of Alcoholic Liquors came into force, known by its short title the Government Liquor Act.
Re Generator Cabaret: The Importance of Cooperating with Police and Liquor Inspectors
On November 6, 2015 the general manager of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch issued its decision in re Generator Cabaret case number EH15-017.
BC Liquor Law Reform: What will 2016 bring?
Despite grumbling from various quarters, including Alcohol & Advocacy, 2015 was a historic year for liquor law in British Columbia.
Sir, I Think You’ve Had Enough
Spend enough time in a bar (on either side of the pine) and you’ll eventually hear those words. In some establishments you hear them more than others. So what happens when a patron has had too much to drink, or is being unruly, and the bartender decides it’s time for him or her to move along?
Restaurants Canada 2015 Report Card: Has British Columbia Raised the Bar?
Have you ever stopped to consider how strange it is that bars, restaurants and caterers in British Columbia (and most other provinces) pay the same for beverage alcohol as you or I would if we walked into our local government liquor store?
So you think you’re fit and proper?
Obtaining a liquor licence in British Columbia means meeting several criteria – some of them objective, others rather subjective.