OKANAGAN — The owners of Moon Curser, a boutique winery in Osoyoos, have been using FedEx to send their products to customers for a few years.
But earlier this week, two of their shipments were returned back to them.
The reason? The destination was to Ontario.
With the exception of Manitoba, it is illegal to ship BC wines to other provinces.
“Part of the grievance, I guess, or what is upsetting , is that it was just unannounced and it was just returned to us,” says Chris Tolley, a co-owner of the winery. “They never introduced a policy or told their customers they were going to be returning shipment.”
FedEx Express Canada apologizes for the incident, saying: “We discovered the shipment after it entered our delivery network and returned the shipment to ensure compliance with provincial laws.”
In May, FedEx was charged for transporting wine from BC to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Many wineries believe the courier’s recent decision to halt shipment of local wines will stunt the industry.
“Without this inter-province shipping, we are limited in our growth,” says Trevor Allen, General Manager of Township 7 Wineries, “having those other provinces aboard expands our markets.”
There is some good news for the industry; the Premiers of BC and Saskatchewan have announced, starting next summer, it will be legal to receive wines and craft spirits between the two provinces.
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