Happy hour has only been legal in British Columbia for about a month, but the province is already looking for ways to make it happier.
The provincial Ministry of Justice announced Friday that it had lowered the minimum price for servings of beer and cider over 50 ounces, dropping the price of a standard 60-ounce pitcher from $15 to $12.
The ministry says the move is “to better meet the expectations of British Columbians,” and comes on the heels of consumer and industry complaints that the province’s new happy hour rules actually made it more expensive.
"When we announced B.C.'s minimum prices, along with the introduction of happy hour, we were clear that we'd keep a close eye on how these prices impacted consumers and businesses,” said Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton in the release.
The new minimum price for servings of beer and cider over 50 ounces is $0.20 per ounce, down from $0.25. The price per ounce for servings under 50 ounces remains $0.25.
CAMRA BC, an organization dedicated to promoting craft beers in the province, has been advocating for a reduction in the minimum price for beer since the province announced its liquor law overhaul. Adam Chatburn, president of the organization’s Vancouver chapter, posted a response to the province’s announcement on the chapter’s website Friday morning.
Chatburn called the change a “partial victory” for CAMRA’s letter-writing campaign that targeted the ministry and local MLAs. It’s not a full victory because it only applies to large servings, he wrote.
“I think this really shows that they don’t understand the concept of minimum pricing,” he wrote. “It’s meant to be a minimum - not a range of minimal.”
Craft beer drinkers don’t often order beer by the pitcher, and the change doesn’t affect the price of a standard pint, Chatburn wrote.
He called on Anton and John Yap, Parliamentary Secretary for Liquor Policy Reform, to meet with CAMRA to hear the perspective of consumers, rather than continue “battling in the media.”
