VICTORIA – B.C. officially opened the door to happy hours and implemented minimum drink pricing on Friday, June 20, offering flexibility for businesses and their customers while preserving health and public safety.
Consistent with the views heard from both industry and health advocates during the Liquor Policy Review, B.C.'s minimum drink prices are in place to encourage responsible consumption and are based on ounces of alcohol sold at licensed establishments. The minimum price an establishment can charge is $3 for a drink – which, for example, would buy a single ounce cocktail, a five ounce glass of wine or 12 ounce sleeve of beer or cider.
Check out this infographic for detailed information on B.C.'s new minimum drink prices: https://flic.kr/p/o2NVEq
Allowing licensees, such as pubs, restaurants and lounges, to alter their liquor prices throughout the course of the day is a pocket-book friendly change for British Columbians that will help the industry attract customers at times when business may typically be slow.
Additional changes stemming from the Liquor Policy Review also came into effect on Friday – cutting red tape and simplifying liquor licensing rules.
Food-primary establishments must continue to offer a full menu, but if patrons simply wish to order drinks they are not obligated to order food as well. Also, customers can now move freely with their beverage from one adjoining licensed area to another, such as from a pub to an adjoining restaurant – a common-sense change from the previous rules, which required staff to carry customers' drinks for them.
Licensees may now transfer small amounts of liquor between similar types of establishments. For instance, if a pub is experiencing a shortage of a specific liquor product, a nearby restaurant can transfer liquor to it, or a liquor store can transfer alcohol to another store with the same kind of liquor licence.
Hosts of family Special Occasion Licence (SOL) events may now serve homemade and UBrew/UVin beer, wine or cider - offering further flexibility for consumers. Also, owners of UBrews and UVins, as well as their family members, are now permitted to own other liquor-related establishments – an out-of-date rule that has been updated under modernized liquor policies.