Canadian lawmakers have voted to finally allow the shipment of wine across provincial borders, but Okanagan winemakers say B.C. regulations mean it’s still easier to mail shotguns than Shiraz.
The Prohibition-era Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act was officially amended in Parliament on Thursday, but now it’s up to each province to create rules allowing tourists to ship wine directly to their home provinces. Until then, the only way to move wine from one province to another is to drive it.
At Tinhorn Creek Winery in Oliver, proprietors Sandra and Ken Oldfield decided to prove a point by ordering a shotgun from Saskatchewan.
“Canada Post is legal to ship a gun, but not wine,” Sandra Oldfield told CTV News.
“It was quite easy. It only took me an hour or so to order it and four days to arrive by Canada Post."
Premier Christy Clark publicly supported the change in the liquor law, calling it “common sense” during a visit to Penticton in December. The B.C. government is now promising to lead discussions with other provinces, but the process isn’t moving fast enough for those in the industry.
“It would have been nice to see a lot of the homework done ahead of time so that they could launch as quick as the bill was passed,” Ken Oldfield said.
Celebrity broadcaster Terry David Mulligan championed the movement to get rid of barriers to inter-provincial wine sales, and he’s worried that the fight isn’t over yet.
"You watch. There will be governments in Ontario, in B.C., in Manitoba and in Alberta that will start to mess with this a little bit. You have to hold their feet to the fire,” he said.
To draw attention to the issue, Tinhorn Creek is urging people across the country to order wine illegally on Canada Day, and the winery is promising to pay the freight.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Kent Molgat
