A win for a New Brunswick resident challenging the ability of provinces to restrict cross-provincial liquor sales would be a boon for local vineyards, said an industry advocate.
A coalition of small B.C. wineries have been granted intervenor status in a Crown appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Gerard Comeau was charged with possessing liquor not purchased from the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation and fined $292.50 after police stopped him on his way home from Quebec with 14 cases of beer and three bottles of liquor in his trunk.
He took the case to court and a New Brunswick trial judge ruled that the charge violated constitutional law, overturning a ban on bringing alcohol across provincial boundaries.
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a Crown appeal.
Trish Morelli, executive director of Kamloops Wineries Association, said a confirmation of the lower court decision would allow producers here to ship direct to consumers in other provinces.
“Most of our wineries don’t have enough inventory to go through liquor boards,” she said.
“I know how much people out east want B.C. wine but they just can’t get it.”
Direct shipping would also be more profitable for the small wineries, she said.
The Supreme Court of Canada hearing is set for Dec. 6 and 7 this year.
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