Liquor licence changes prioritize reducing risk of selling, serving to minors

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This article was published 01/09/2023 (769 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New liquor law regulations that took effect Friday include new age restrictions for Manitoba tap rooms.

Bill 7, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Amendment Act, eliminates specific categories of liquor service licences, allowing businesses to operate with fewer regulations. The categories have been reduced from six to two: age-restricted and general.

“The new categories focus on risk and whether the venue and business model are appropriate for minors (under 18 years old),” the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba said in an email to one local brewery owner Friday. It informed the business owner — who asked not to be identified — that their licence would automatically transition to an age-restricted licence.

“All liquor service licensees received an email this week notifying them of the change and indicating what category they would transition to,” authority spokesperson Samantha Stevenson said Friday.

“Most licensees will transition to a general licence, while businesses whose primary focus is serving liquor will become age-restricted,” she said in an email.

The new categories prioritize prevention of liquor sales and service to minors, said Stevenson. There are provisions for businesses that become age-restricted to request a general licence, “but they must demonstrate that they have activities or hospitality that is suitable for minors,” she said.

The authority is giving licensees who were previously categorized as a “unique hospitality venue” — including craft brewery tap rooms — a grace period of two weeks, until Sept. 15, during which time they will continue to be able to admit minors into their premises. During that period, they are able to submit a plan to the LGCA outlining why they could be considered for the general category.

“We can’t guarantee that their request will be granted, but we are committed to working with licensees during this transitional period,” Stevenson said.

The new regulations took effect Friday. The LGCA consulted extensively with industry and heard that businesses were looking for increased flexibility to respond to consumer preference, along with a reduced regulatory burden, Stevenson said.

The authority has been updating industry throughout the legislative process and the regulations were posted for a 45-day public consultation period, she said.

The LGCA website says it “serves the public interest by regulating Manitoba’s liquor, gaming, cannabis and horse racing industries in a respectful, impartial, and balanced manner.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca