Only two grocery stores in Vancouver can sell liquor according to new liquor laws

B.C.’s  new liquor laws will permit the sale of alcohol at local grocery stores, but there’s a catch, new liquor sale licenses are forbidden within a kilometre of stores already selling alcohol.

There are two grocery stores in Vancouver that will be able to sell alcohol. The rest are located too close to existing liquor retailers. The two stores are Choice Family Market located in the Vancouver West area. Most grocery stores in Victoria and other towns in the province are located in close proximity to existing liquor stores.

Earlier this month,  B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton announced amendments to the province’s Liquor Control and Licensing Act, allowing the sale of beer and wine at grocery stores. The NDP wanted the idea scrapped. New Democrat MLA Shane Simpson says the fine print of the new law is misleading about its impact on the province.

“There’s been no financial analysis of this. There’s been no thought given as to what this means for these industries, no thought about what it means for government revenues, no analysis of why you want to turn the liquor business over to the corporate food retailers,” says Simpson.

There is no timeline for liquor store license applications, and it’s up to individual grocery stores to decide whether or not to apply.