A year after federal shipping law reform, provincial barriers remain

Post courtesy of winelaw.ca.

June 28th was the one year anniversary of the unanimous passage of Bill C-311, which removed Canada’s federal ban on the interprovincial shipment of wine direct to consumers (see: Canadian Wine Shipping Reform Becomes Law). The amendments created a national personal use exemption for DTC shipments subject to applicable provincial laws. I have updated my Shipping Laws Within Canada page to provide an up-to-date summary of my views regarding the legality of shipping wine to consumers in the the various provinces across Canada.

Manitoba gets the gold medal for opening its borders completely. BC gets a silver medal for opening its borders partially. Unfortunately, none of the other provinces have publicly declared their support for “freeing the grapes”. Instead, most are dragging their heels on reform in various ways with, in my opinion, various degrees of legal effectiveness.

The award for worst behaviour has to go to Alberta … which is stating that it is not open for DTC shipments despite the fact that its own provincial laws clearly state that it is legal (see:Alberta’s Bizarre Position on Wine Shipping Law Reform). There’s a good summary of the situation from the Winnipeg Free Press here: Manitoba Wine Laws Ahead of the Curve. The fight goes on … please supportFreeMyGrapes as it continues to press the provincial governments for the simple right to buy wine from other places within your own country.

— For more information on the campaign to open Canada’s interprovincial borders to wine, visit freemygrapes.ca.