Ontario and Nova Scotia have signed an agreement that will let residents in both provinces buy alcohol directly from local producers in either jurisdiction.
The new deal flows from a broader framework agreed to by several provinces last year to try to reduce or do away with internal Canadian trade barriers altogether.
Canadian provinces have various restrictive rules around the sale of alcohol that make it difficult for customers to buy outside of their territory.
In Ontario, for example, alcohol must be bought through the LCBO and direct shipments from other provinces are forbidden.
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The agreement signed between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Nova Scotia counterpart Tim Houston will abolish those barriers and allow for people to order direct from local breweries, wineries and distillers “in the coming weeks.”
It will allow people to purchase alcohol directly from other provinces without going through provincial agencies. Someone living in Ontario, for example, could order Nova Scotia wine directly from a small producer on the East Coast.
Both leaders hailed the agreement.
“Ontario is leading the way to unlock free trade within Canada. Our agreement means Nova Scotia residents can conveniently purchase any of their favourite Ontario craft beers, wines and more, while Ontario residents will be able to buy the very best Nova Scotia has to offer,” Ford said in a statement.
Houston said the deal was a “stepping stone” that would let alcohol makers in his province access the much larger Ontario market.
With the agreement now signed, both provinces will begin going through the process of authorizing sales from a competing jurisdiction.
The government has not indicated a date on which those changes will be formalized.
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