“Our government has now signed a direct-to-consumer alcohol sales agreement with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia. This agreement will allow Alberta liquor producers to sell their beer, wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages directly to more Canadians, opening new markets and creating new opportunities for Alberta businesses to grow.

“This is an important step toward breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, but more work can be done. We already have the most open and free liquor market in Canada, allowing all liquor manufacturers, regardless of their province, to sell their products on retail shelves throughout Alberta. Our province’s producers should have the same opportunity to compete for space on retail shelves across Canada.”

- Danielle Smith, Premier

“We encourage all provinces to build on this momentum by going beyond direct-to-consumer sales and removing unnecessary barriers that prevent Alberta producers from accessing retail shelves across the country.

“Reducing internal trade barriers will give Alberta liquor producers the same opportunity to compete across Canada that producers from across the country already enjoy in Alberta. That means more opportunities for Alberta businesses to grow while giving Canadians more choice.”

- Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction

Quick facts

  • Direct-to-consumer alcohol sales allow individuals to purchase alcoholic beverages directly from liquor producers in participating provinces for personal consumption, without going through a retailer.
    • The agreement signed today expands market access for Alberta producers, giving Canadians more choice and supporting the reduction of interprovincial trade barriers.
  • British Columbia is committing to have its system in place to implement direct-to-consumer sales for all types of alcohol in February 2027.
  • Yukon will be taking steps to implement direct-to-consumer sales for alcohol and is working closely with Yukon’s dry communities to ensure their preferences are reflected.
  • Alberta has a fully privatized liquor retail system with more than 1,600 private liquor retailers and access to more than 34,000 liquor products through the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, including almost 10,000 products from Canadian producers.
  • Alberta will apply the same standard fees and mark-ups to direct-to-consumer sales that apply to other liquor sales in the province.
  • In April, Alberta and British Columbia (B.C.) renewed their memorandum of understanding to make it easier for Albertans to buy wine from B.C. while ensuring out-of-province wineries pay their fair share of fees from liquor sales in Alberta.

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