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Premier stands behind boycott of BC wine

Feb 7, 2018 | 3:56 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The boycott over B.C. wines is being felt in the Gas City.

Premier Rachel Notley made the announcement on Tuesday, as the tensions over the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline continue to escalate.

“Albertans didn’t want or invite this fight,” she said. “This is one good step to waking BC up to the fact that they can’t attack our industry without a response from us.”

“It’s sheer lunacy and I’m hoping that that’s what the premier going for because also banning a pipeline in B.C. is lunacy,” said Cheesecake Cafe owner Jay Hitchen.

The ban has already been put in place.

The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission will not import in any wines from the west.

It comes with an estimated $70 million blow to B.C. wineries.

Stores and restaurants will continue to pour the products and the Alberta warehouses will continue to ship the remaining stock they have. The AGLC estimates the 160,000 cases they have in stock will last about a month.

“It’s not a huge part of our wine selection,” Hitchen said. “It’s about 10 per cent of what we offer here.”

Hitchen said he knows the impact it could have on other restaurants and liquor stores moving forwards.

“It’s a ripple, it won’t be really anything that we can’t get around,” he added. “There’s lot of wine in the big wide world that we live in so there’s lots of competition. We like B.C. wines, we love catering to our neighbours, just like I’m sure they like beer from Alberta.”

That’s a message Notley herself is selling to Albertans.

“Next time you’re thinking about ordering a glass of wine, think of our energy workers, think of your neighbours, think of our community, think about our province and maybe choose some terrific Alberta craft beer instead,” she said.

It’s a message Hitchen said just might work.

“Beer drinkers now are just as snobby as wine drinkers,” he said. “You’ve got guys with their beer apps and they’re sampling different ones, lights, darks, lagers, pilsners. I mean, it’s becoming a whole culture into itself.”