Alberta is making changes to help do-it-yourself brewers and wine makers, along with laying out more rules underpinning the pending legalization of cannabis.
The changes are in a bill introduced in the house by Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.
The bill will allow businesses to be set up for customers to make their own beer and wine on site.
On the cannabis front, the changes will make clear that private operators who set up cannabis outlets can’t use store names that suggest their product is tied to medical or therapeutic benefits, and can’t entice children.
Fines for breaking rules under the Gaming and Liquor Act will rise from $200,000 to $1 million.
Finance Minister Joe Ceci says they’re creating do-it-yourself wine and beer making outlets at the request of many Albertans, and says craft brewers aren’t worried this will cut their market share.
“When I brought it up to small brewers and small liquor manufacturers they haven’t expressed any concern. They see this as a complementary thing to their businesses,” Ceci told a news conference Monday.