Government makes another liquor announcement – this time on licensing

WATCH: Victoria promises to make it easier for you to get a temporary liquor license for things like weddings and banquets. Keith Baldrey explains how they plan to do it, and why the opposition isn’t impressed.

Another month, another liquor policy announcement from the government.

Attorney General Suzanne Anton announced that liquor licensing for special events is moving online in British Columbia, beginning with a pilot program in Vancouver and Burnaby.

It was one of the 73 recommendations from the government’s Liquor Policy Review that were made public in January 2014. Only now has the government announced the change as official, saying it will go into effect February 2.

READ MORE: Big B.C. liquor store changes coming 

They believe the new process will speed up approvals for small events like weddings and fundraisers. Applicants will no longer have to fill out paper applications, make multiple visits to liquor stores or go to police stations and municipal halls.

Attorney General Suzanne Anton says the new system will help free up police resources as officers and liquor inspectors will be able to access event licences online.
The B.C. government processes up to 25,000 special occasion licences every year, and the province aims to have the online system fully implemented in early April.

READ MORE: Cost of wine under new B.C. liquor laws could skyrocket

The government has made many announcements – and some times, re-announcements of decisions already made – of changes to liquor policy in the province over the last 18 months.

NDP MLA David Eby says the volume and timing of the announcements is curious.

“I get these announcements in my email inbox, and it’s filling up my inbox,” he said.

“The government has announced and re-announced these policies so many times. It seems like anytime they’re in trouble on some issue, they roll out another policy.”

“They don’t want to talk about the economy, they don’t want to talk about Amrik Virk…what they want to talk about is that one day, there might be alcohol on grocery shelves.”