It’s essentially the end of prohibition in Nova Scotia.
Amendments to the Liquor Control Act were introduced Tuesday that will remove the requirement to hold plebiscites in communities where the sale of alcohol is restricted.
Nova Scotia was the last province in the country to have such a requirement.
READ: Voters in three ‘dry’ areas of Nova Scotia to vote on whether to allow liquor sales
That law dates back to the time of prohibition and meant that if a winery, craft brewery, distillery, lounge or the NSLC wanted to open in a so-called “dry” community, residents had to vote to become “wet.”
“We knew that it was difficult for businesses to try to determine if it was a wet, dry area. If it was a dry area, it would require a plebiscite. That took time for Elections Nova Scotia to have their plebiscite so it’s really to try to reduce some of the red tape that existed for businesses,” said Karen Casey, minister of finance and treasury board.
“We know that craft breweries and wineries are becoming very much a part of rural Nova Scotia and so, in order to facilitate that process, [we need] to reduce red tape for those small businesses but also to bring us in line with what is happening across Canada.”
According to Elections Nova Scotia, there are about 100 “dry” areas of Nova Scotia and of 16 plebiscites held in the past two decades, only one voted to keep the area dry.
Plebiscites are typically held for a small number of eligible voters, which has ranged in the past from as small as 24 to as many as 4,182.
But voter turnout has been as low as 4.2 per cent, which translates to high administrative costs.
READ: Lockeport, N.S. votes to end ban on pubs after more than a century
Casey said the province reached out to police forces and municipalities in 2015 and 2016 for feedback on the issue, however, participation in the consultations was low. Of the approximately 65 groups contacted, only 20 responded.
“That indicates perhaps the interest is low, perhaps people were not opposed to it. Of all that were received, I believe there were four that raised some concerns. The rest were all neutral or in favour of the change,” Casey said.
The change will be effective January 2019.