Atlantic Canadian small businesses are calling on provincial governments to loosen restrictions on alcohol sales, saying the current system is limiting growth.
A new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says the region has some of the most restrictive liquor markets in the country.
The group argues that small retailers and producers are missing out on opportunities that other provinces have gained by allowing more private competition.
“Almost every province across Canada allows some private competition in alcohol sales,” said Duncan Robertson, CFIB’s Director of Legislative Affairs for Nova Scotia.
“If it works in these provinces, why can’t it work in Atlantic Canada?”
The report points to Ontario, where convenience store owners have reported more customer traffic since recent changes, and to British Columbia, where beer sales lead all alcohol categories.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial liquor corporation generated more than $70 million in revenue from local beer sales through convenience stores.
The CFIB is recommending several reforms, including direct‑to‑consumer shipping across provinces, cross‑selling of local products, and removing provincial markups on sales that don’t use government distribution networks.
It also suggests governments provide better online tools to help consumers find local breweries and producers.
“At the end of the day, these changes would not be radical,” Robertson said. “They would simply bring Atlantic Canada to the level of almost every other province in Canada.”
