The Alberta government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the British Columbia government to allow wineries in their provinces to sell directly to consumers in the other one. This means Albertans will be able to order wine from BC producers and have it shipped to their homes, and British Columbians can do the same with Alberta’s new wineries. “This means more consumer choice, more market access for businesses, more growth and prosperity for Albertans and British Columbians, and the agreement also means that we can ensure consistent charges are applied to all wines sold in Alberta,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a Tuesday press conference. “And in one year, we’ll take a look at how things are working and revisit our agreement.” Smith thanked BC Premier David Eby for his positive approach to problem solving. She said Alberta consumers were advocates for the MOU. Certain consumers said they wanted direct delivery to be restored. In response, Smith said she was glad they could come to an agreement and is confident it is a sign of a better future. She concluded by saying all provinces have an interest in approving trade between them and when there is a will, there is a way. Eby started off the press conference by saying BC has worked hard over multiple generations to build up the wine industry. “We have gone through a challenging time with our relationship with Alberta,” said Eby. “Lots that we’ve been successful in working on together.” However, he said one area it had been challenged in was the ability for BC wines to cross the border into Alberta. When he raised the issue with Smith, she said she would work on it with her team. Smith followed up by saying there are many Albertans who love BC wines. “So we were hearing that they wanted to have a solution,” she said. “And we also heard directly from the vineyards who are really struggling, especially with some of the weather issues that they face.” She said she and Eby felt it was important to reach an agreement to ensure shipments flow again. The issue was ensuring all of the products coming into Alberta were treated with fairness and equality. BC winemakers felt the grapes of wrath in February over demands from Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) to end direct sales to local consumers. READ MORE: Wine dispute fermenting between Alberta and BCThe AGLC threatened to cut off wholesale access to BC vineyards and stop stocking their products if they did not stop its attempts to circumvent Alberta’s alcohol taxes.“To maintain the integrity of Alberta’s liquor model and to protect the interests of Alberta retailers and liquor agents, AGLC will not accept any inbound shipments from any suppliers or manufacturers providing direct shipping of liquor products to Alberta residents,” said the AGLC.
