A B.C. liquor law banning charities from auctioning off donated wine has left some philanthropists with a sour taste in their mouths.
The law came to light when the Belfry Theatre in Victoria was denied a Special Occasion License for its annual wine fundraiser.
Organizers received a letter from the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch informing them that B.C.’s “laws and policies expressly prohibit organizations from soliciting bottles of liquor from individuals to be auctioned for charity.”
“The legislation specifically prohibits any individual, business or liquor retailer from providing liquor to SOL holders for any purpose,” it reads.
According to the law, charities must purchase their liquor products from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, an authorized manufacturer or an agent.
That was tough news for the theatre to swallow; the Belfry was hoping to raise about $20,000 this year through the auction of rare donated bottles, as it has for the past two years.
“Here they are two weeks out from a big event… and they find out that not only will they lose the event revenue that they were counting on, but they’re also losing the money they put into the event,” said NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert, who noted that the crackdown can’t be explained by any recent change in legislation.
“The government decided to read a policy different than they had done before,” he said.
John Clerides, who owns Marquis Wine Cellars in Vancouver, said he’s worried about the charities he donates wine to: the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Big Sisters.
“They raise a lot of money to help kids that need help, and that has literally just vanished,” Clerides said.
“It does so much good for the community, you know a $25 bottle of wine may go for $50. And so that’s $50 they didn’t have yesterday and it’s gone.”
The ministry in charge of the LCLB issued an email statement to CTV News saying it was working to mend the problem.
“We are moving quickly to find interim measures to deal with these types of situations. As well, we have asked legal counsel to investigate options because changing this rule may require a legislative amendment,” it read.
Provincial law allows for liquor to be donated to registered charities, but only by a liquor manufacturer or agent and only if it was purchased from the Liquor Distribution Branch.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Maria Weisgarber
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