TORONTO — Ontario has joined eight other provinces in a historic agreement that will allow direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages for personal use across provincial borders, marking a significant step toward dismantling internal trade barriers within Canada.Premier Doug Ford, alongside the premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, signed the agreement Tuesday in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The pact was co-led by Ontario and Saskatchewan and builds on a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding as well as a bilateral deal signed earlier this year between Ontario and Nova Scotia.The agreement takes effect immediately. It will let producers — including breweries, wineries and distilleries in participating provinces — seek authorization to sell directly to consumers in other jurisdictions, with products delivered to their homes. Ontario consumers will gain access to a wider selection from out-of-province producers, while Ontario makers gain new markets..“In the face of President Trump’s latest tariffs, it’s more important than ever that Team Canada work together to build a more united, resilient and self-reliant Canadian economy,” said Ford.“Today’s agreement will open new markets and new choice and convenience for producers and customers in Ontario and across Canada, while helping unlock more than $200 billion in untapped economic opportunity that is currently being held back by internal trade barriers.”Ontario’s Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy highlighted the deal’s role in fostering economic growth.“Ontario continues to lead the way on breaking down interprovincial trade barriers to unlock economic growth, support jobs and build a more competitive and resilient economy in Ontario and across Canada,” Bethlenfalvy said. “Enhancing interprovincial trade of alcoholic beverages opens new domestic markets for Ontario alcohol producers, strengthening economic ties between provinces, while also increasing choice and convenience for consumers.”.Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli added that the agreement advances Ontario’s push for freer internal trade.Prior to the new pact — and the earlier Ontario-Nova Scotia bilateral agreement — Ontario consumers could generally only access out-of-province alcohol through the LCBO’s listing system, private ordering or by personally transporting it. The new framework streamlines direct online purchases and delivery from authorized producers.The signing occurs ahead of the Council of the Federation summer meeting in Prince Edward Island and fulfills commitments made by first ministers earlier this year to reduce internal trade barriers for alcohol..Last year, Ontario passed the Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025, which includes legislative changes to enable the framework.Since April 2025, Ontario and ten other jurisdictions have signed economic cooperation memoranda of understanding committing them to advance initiatives such as pan-Canadian direct-to-consumer alcohol sales.Ontario has also significantly expanded consumer choice since October 31, 2024, when beer, wine, seltzers and other low-alcohol ready-to-drink beverages became available at participating stores. This is the largest such expansion since the end of prohibition nearly a century ago.The Ford government positioned the agreement as part of a broader effort to remove barriers and unlock economic potential across Canadian borders.
