Vancouver approves wine sales in grocery stores

You’ll soon see B.C. wine on grocery store shelves in Vancouver.

City council passed a motion Wednesday to allow for the “wine-on-shelf” model, which is already in place in municipalities like Langley, Abbotsford, White Rock, and Coquitlam.

“We want to be like other places. We want to catch up with other municipalities who do this and other jurisdictions. I think Vancouver is ready for it,” coun. Mike Klassen, who brought the motion forward, told CityNews after the vote.

#VanCityCouncil approves motion on agenda item 6 – Updating Guidelines to Allow for Wine-on-Shelf Sales in Vancouver Grocery Stores (Members’ Motion B3), unanimously.

— Vancouver City Clerk (@VanCityClerk) April 12, 2023

He says it’s about time Vancouver made this change, especially given the recent challenges the industry has faced.

“We’ve had a really tough winter, we’re hearing about grape harvests lost, some of the grape vines getting winter damage, and of course, the federal excise tax that is coming in the spring. So in some ways, this provides some good news for the industry,” he explained.

“Vancouver is the largest municipality in province and is a place where probably most of the tourists would like to go to. They’re going to have access to premium B.C. wines.”

The vote means Vancouver grocery stores that get a licence to sell alcohol will be allowed to sell B.C. wines themselves — as opposed to sticking with the “store-within-a-store” model that was previously approved by the province in 2015.

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That same year, staff had recommended the city pilot the “wine-on shelf” model in five stores. A staff report was submitted to council in 2017, including consultation results with various stakeholders, including police, tourism, and health.

The motion brought forward by Klassen this year says “given the non-problematic success of the wine-on-shelf model for grocery stores” in other parts of B.C. since 2015, as well as changes to the “provincial retail landscape,” now is the time for council to “revisit the wine-on-shelf model for grocery stores in Vancouver and the policy implemented in 2017.”

Klassen is hopeful that a series of initiatives, including this one, will help Vancouver shed the “no-fun city” identity.

“It’s no fun for me when people say that because I was born and raised here and I love the city, I think it’s a fun place. So we have to shake that label and I think some of the work we’re doing is going to allow us to be a little bit more proud of us being a fun and vibrant place to live,” he said.

Staff have now been asked to come back with changes to the bylaw, which will then head back to council for final approval.