A new agreement between nine provinces is being welcomed by Ontario craft breweries and distilleries, who say it will make it easier to reach Canadian customers while giving consumers access to products that were once difficult to find outside their home province. The agreement, signed Tuesday by premiers from Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, allows direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages between participating jurisdictions for personal use. Quebec is not part of the agreement. The move comes as provinces look to strengthen trade within Canada amid ongoing tensions with the United States, including a new round of tariffs slated to start mid-August and the removal of some American alcohol products from provincial liquor store shelves. For years, consumers wanting to buy beer, wine or spirits from another province were largely limited to products carried by their provincial liquor board or those they brought home after travelling themselves. The new agreement will allow producers to sell directly to consumers online and ship products to their homes once provincial systems are in place. At SFR Distillery in Ottawa, general manager and master distiller Adam Brierley says the change could significantly expand the company’s reach. “We want to have a national presence,” says Brierley. “Up until now, we’ve essentially had to take it province by province, getting listed with their authorities.” SFR produces a range of spirits, including vodka, gin, liqueurs and its flagship blended whisky, which was recently named Canada’s best blended whisky at a national competition. “Now, if people coast to coast, north, south, east, west, want to try Canada’s best blended whisky, they can just go on our website and order to their door,” says Brierley. “It’s kind of one of those rising tide situations where our industry then grows and we have an identity on the national stage. Where are Canadian craft distillers have weight and people look to what we create next.” The agreement is also drawing support from Ottawa’s craft brewing industry. Tim Davidson, brewmaster at Pistols Brewery, says the changes will help small producers build their brands beyond provincial borders. “Having the possibility of millions more customers and to get exposure across the country, to grow your brand, this is a really great way to get that done,” says Davidson. “If you have beer fans that could be visiting and they go back to where they are from, now they can go ahead and get it delivered to their doorstep.” For consumers, the agreement could mean easier access to small-batch and limited-release products that are often unavailable through provincial liquor stores. Mike Brisebois, organizer of Whisky Wonderland Ottawa, says Canada’s craft spirits industry has grown rapidly, but many products remain difficult to find because government liquor stores have limited shelf space. “In Ontario, the LCBO can only carry so many bottles, and there’s so many great producers across Canada that have such minimal quantity, now you can source them directly,” says Brisebois. “It’s a huge benefit because now they [distillers] can actually create that link to the consumer and fulfil an order to them without being tied to having a general listing in one of our government-regulated liquor stores.” Brisebois says the changes could also make it easier for whisky enthusiasts to discover highly regarded bottles from smaller distilleries across the country. The Ontario government says the agreement removes a long-standing internal trade barrier and will expand consumer choice while opening new domestic markets for breweries, wineries and distilleries. The agreement builds on an earlier direct-to-consumer arrangement between Ontario and Nova Scotia and is part of broader efforts to reduce internal trade barriers, which governments estimate cost the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. While the agreement is now in effect, consumers may not immediately be able to order products from every participating province. Each jurisdiction must still implement the rules and systems needed to support direct-to-consumer sales. British Columbia has said its system for all types of alcohol is expected to be in place in 2027.
