Province Removes Barriers on Direct-to-Consumer Alcohol Imports

The government is taking further action to remove barriers on alcohol imports for consumers and open up new opportunities for local alcohol producers.

New regulations will allow residents to buy alcohol products from producers in provinces that have signed direct-to-consumer agreements with Nova Scotia. The new regulations also mean that local alcohol producers will be able to sell direct to consumers in participating provinces.

“Breaking down interprovincial trade barriers means more choice for Nova Scotians who want to buy products from their favourite out-of-province producers, and it opens up new markets for our local industry,” said Finance and Treasury Board Minister John Lohr. “We already allow direct-to-consumer wine imports. It just makes sense to do the same for other Canadian alcohol products.”

The new Importing Alcoholic Beverages for Personal Use Regulations replace the Importing Wine for Personal Use Regulations that had been in place since 2015. The new rules will allow Nova Scotians to buy Canadian alcohol products direct from producers as long as it is for personal use and there is a reciprocal agreement in place with the province where the product was produced. Imports for resale or other commercial use are not permitted.

Direct-to-consumer agreements with other provinces and territories are expected to be in place soon.

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia made similar direct-to-consumer changes for the personal importation of wine in 2015
• in 2019, the federal government repealed the last remaining federal restrictions on the sale of alcohol in the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act
• there are about 130 licensed alcoholic beverage producers in Nova Scotia

Additional Resources:

Regulations under the Liquor Control Act are available at: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/rxaa-l.htm#liq