Modernizes alcohol rules and market sales

Summary#

• This bill updates New Brunswick’s Liquor Control Act to modernize rules, support small producers, and simplify licensing.
• It lets small breweries and distilleries sell their sealed products for take‑home at approved farmers’ markets through NB Liquor.
• It ends the “in‑house brewery” licence and cleans up related rules and offences.
• It gives special event permit holders more freedom to set prices, adds safety checks for distilleries, and removes an old tax section from the Act.

Key changes:

• Small brewers (up to 500,000 litres per year) and small distillers (up to 75,000 litres per year) may sell sealed products for home use at approved farmers’ markets as agents of NB Liquor.
• The in‑house brewery licence is repealed, and the meaning of “brewer” is updated to cover anyone making beer for commercial sale.
• A separate liquor tax section and a monthly reporting requirement are removed, with references updated across the law.
• Special event permit holders who can sell alcohol no longer need minister‑approved “cost‑only” pricing; they can set prices within other legal rules.
• New safeguards: brewery, winery, and distillery licence applicants must be at least 19; distillery applicants must provide a fire‑safety compliance statement.
• Outdated terms and one older licence category are removed; language is simplified (for example, Latin phrases are replaced with plain English).

What it means for you#

• Consumers

  • You may be able to buy sealed beer or spirits from small local producers at approved farmers’ markets for take‑home use.
  • Farmers’ market alcohol sales must follow the same rules as NB Liquor stores in that area, including ID checks and no open containers.

• Small brewers and distillers

  • You can apply to sell your sealed products at approved farmers’ markets as an agent of NB Liquor.
  • If you are a distiller, you will need a fire marshal (or similar official) to confirm your site meets fire‑safety standards before getting a licence.
  • You must be at least 19 to hold a brewery, winery, or distillery licence.
  • The in‑house brewery licence is eliminated; your operations will be covered under other licence types and rules.

• Event organizers (with special occasion permits that allow sales)

  • You no longer need minister approval for prices or to limit prices to cost and service only. You can set prices, but all usual service rules still apply.

• Clubs

  • Club licence application steps are simplified. Some older definitions (like “club member” and “guest”) are removed from the Act’s glossary.

• Farmers’ markets and vendors

  • Parts of a market used for beer or spirit sales by appointed producers must follow the same rules as an NB Liquor store area (for example, signage, age checks, and no on‑site consumption of those sealed products).

Expenses#

Estimated fiscal impact: No publicly available information.

• The bill may change where and how alcohol is sold (for example, at farmers’ markets) and removes one tax section and a monthly filing rule, but no official cost or revenue estimate is provided.

Proponents' View#

• Helps local businesses: Letting small producers sell at farmers’ markets supports local jobs, tourism, and rural economies.
• More convenience: Adults can buy local beer and spirits while shopping at markets, in sealed containers for home use.
• Modernizes the law: Replaces outdated licence types and legal terms, and simplifies paperwork by removing an old monthly return.
• Safer operations: Fire‑safety sign‑off for distilleries reduces risk.
• Flexible events: Charities and organizers can set prices that better cover costs or fundraising needs, while existing service rules still protect the public.

Opponents' View#

• Easier access: More points of sale could increase alcohol availability, raising concerns about underage access or overuse if not well enforced.
• Regulatory clarity: Ending the in‑house brewery licence may create uncertainty for businesses that used it until new guidance is clear.
• Revenue questions: Removing a tax section and a monthly reporting rule could affect government revenue or oversight, but the impact is not stated.
• Enforcement at markets: Applying store‑level rules in busy market settings may be harder for vendors and market operators.