SAINT ANDREWS, NB – CBC News reports that the limits on the amount of alcohol individuals are legally allowed to transport across provincial borders will soon be increasing, thanks to a new agreement struck at Council of the Federation meetings that took place this week in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick.
According to the report, the deal was reached by the premiers on Thursday night, with further details discussed this morning before it was announced in a news release regarding various changes around interprovincial trade.
The section related to alcohol reads as follows:
Premiers recognize the importance of supporting consumer choice and reducing trade barriers with respect to alcoholic beverages, while ensuring a high level of social responsibility that considers the impact of alcohol consumption on communities. As a first step Premiers have agreed in principle to significantly increase personal use exemption limits when crossing provincial/territorial boundaries. Some jurisdictions may eliminate limits entirely, as is now the case in Manitoba and Alberta. Premiers emphasized these enhancements are intended to spur a broader range of products for Canadian consumers.
As noted above, Manitoba and Alberta already have no limits on the amount of alcohol that can be brought in from other provinces for personal consumption, while New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland and Labrador have very low limits. For the other eight provinces and territories, the limits are current set at or around 24.6 litres (three standard cases of 24) for beer, nine litres for wine, and three litres of spirits.
While the official statement doesn’t include specific amounts for the increased limits, CBC reports that they are expected to at least double from the numbers above for those jurisdictions that choose to retain limits.
For more details, see the full CBC News article.