It is the 90th anniversary and the government monopoly Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) still controls and sells all liquor within BC at the wholesale level and still sells a vast amount through its government retail stores which have extremely high operating costs. The LDB is a $3 billion per year business in B.C. It generates about $900 million per year for the government but costs about $300 million per year to operate.

The following are some of the legacies of prohibition which make BC look ridiculous when compared to the rest of the world:

• Today, all liquor sold within BC must be registered and listed with the government. All imports of liquor must be approved by and processed through the government wholesaler. Yet, we don’t do this for cigarettes or guns.
• Today in BC, and unlike most of the rest of the world, it is still illegal to consume alcohol in a public place such as a park. BC citizens cannot legally enjoy a glass of wine while enjoying a picnic.
• It is still illegal to carry liquor across provincial borders (a criminal offence with possible imprisonment). In Europe, you can ship alcohol between countries without a problem. While Canadians cannot legally return from a vacation in another province with any alcohol, they can bring back 2 bottles per person after a trip to another country.
• We have excessively high taxes on liquor which result in prices being about double what they should be.           For example, Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, a Washington state wine, is commonly available for $6 south of the border. It is $15.99 in BC because the standard LDB markup on wine is 123% plus 12% HST on top of that for a grand total of 135% tax.
• Wine is good for you when used in moderation as intended. No amount of soda pop is good for you but that is taxed at only 12%.
• We have arcane regulation of restaurants and private retailers such that these independent businesses are not permitted to do things which are otherwise commonplace. For example, they cannot store liquor off-site. They cannot transfer liquor between locations of the same restaurant or retail chain (even if the LDB is out of stock). They must buy nearly all their liquor from the government, usually from a single designated government store. If they order anything other than mainstream products, they are forced to order in full case lots via a slow and inefficient delivery system. As a result, restaurants frequently run out of products or encounter storage and financial issues due to the requirement to order in such large quantities.
• Restaurants and bars are denied wholesale prices entirely. Private retailers are given wholesale prices which are fixed artificially high by their chief competitor (the government stores). As a result, there is virtually no competition in the retail liquor business and consumers are denied the sales and good deals that are common in other countries.* It is illegal for a private person to sell a bottle of liquor to another private person. Auctions are also illegal (unless done for charity).
• Citizens cannot take their own wine into a restaurant and have the restaurant charge them a corkage fee (even if the wine was purchased from a government store). This is illegal – it’s considered to be “illicit liquor”.

Happy Anniversary LDB, but don’t expect the rest of British Columbia to be joining you to celebrate the 90th birthday of the establishment of government control over the sale of liquor within the province.

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For more information about wine and liquor laws in BC and Canada, visit www.winelaw.ca.

Mark Hicken, BA JD
Vintage Law Group
T: 604 868 1375
E: mark@winelaw.ca
W: www.winelaw.ca

Julia Watt
Gala Events & Marketing
T: 604-790-4484
E: julia@galaevents.ca
W: www.galaevents.ca

Gracing the event were the veritable party people of Vancouver as they enjoyed the food, had fun, and partied the night away.

Distinguished guests joined owner Kris Barnholden in celebrating the 1st anniversary of Mis Trucos on August 29th. The guest list included Alain Canuel, operations director of Regional Tasting Lounge; Mike Halwa, owner of Hoga Digital Photography; and Graham Bingham, founder and president of Momentum Advanced Grooming Solutions Inc.

The event was held at the BC Lions Training Facility and immediately followed the 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM practice session of the BC Lions. Seen attending the event were Dennis Skulsky – BC Lions President and CEO, Wally Buono – General Manager and head Coach of the BC Lions, Derral Moriyama of the BMO Bank of Montreal, and Moray Keith of the Dueck Auto Group.

The Waterboys – BC Lions Football Team Barbecue was sponsored by Rob Gray of Team Radio, Jamie Pitblado of Pacific Newspaper Group, Derek Duvall of Action Fitness & Training Centre, and Don Nilson of Nilson & Co.

A golf event followed the barbecue at the Guildford Golf and Country Club together with the Waterboys and selected BC Lions players.

On Wednesday, August 11th, Painted Rock Estate Winery showcased the release of its second vintage Chardonnay at the patio of Monk McQueen’s. The event also marked the first anniversary of Painted Rock Estate Winery, which won two Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for ‘Excellence in BC Wines’.

Painted Rock Estate Winery is owned by the family of John Skinner who started his quest for the most suitable vineyard property in 2003. Settling on a sixty-acre parcel of land known as Blackhawk in Okanagan, the Skinner family was able to establish one of the most exclusive boutique wineries in BC today.

The First Anniversary of Painted Rock Estate Winery and Chardonnay release party was opened by the proprietor, John Skinner, who also said a few words to start off the celebration. The event also gave a preview sampling of the signature Icon blend and red varietals of the winery.

To find out more about Painted Rock Estate Winery, visit their website, HERE.

The School of Fish Foundation aims to convince schools of culinary arts around the world to have a comprehensive sustainable seafood course in their curriculum. The educational modules and lesson materials will be provided by the School of Fish Foundation in order to provide future chefs with the skills necessary to bring change in the restaurant industry around the world.

The floating dining room of the School of Fish Foundation is made of renewable, recycled, reclaimed and/or re-purposed materials. Designed by Matt Kirk-Buss of Loki Ocean, it is a fully outfitted dining room which can accommodate 12 diners each night. Mr. Ronalds will personally preside over each candle-lit six-course dinner consisting of sustainable seafood prepared by renowned Chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant.

A total of 720 people will be able to proudly say that they were a part of the advocacy of the School of Fish Foundation since the proceeds of the dinner events will be utilized for the continued development of the curriculum for various schools of culinary arts around the world.

To find out more about this worthy cause, check out their website, HERE.

Swimwear and summer go together like fish and water. Goldfish Pacific Kitchen added charity to the mix with the Yaletown restaurant’s highly anticipated Summer Splash event on June 16th from 7 to 9:30 PM.  The timely beach fashion and cocktail bash benefited the Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS), a non-profit organization doing much needed work in downtown Eastside.

Goldfish owner and philanthropist, Dotty Kanke, was delighted by the huge turnout and munificent donations, making the event a huge success.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the turnout and grateful for the many generous donations. Summer Splash was huge success, and we thank everyone for their support”

The evening was filled with food, fun and frivolity, which the restaurant is known for. For $60, guests were treated to a lively salsa performance by the Mambo Hustlers, a glamorous bikini fashion show with designs from Sports Illustrated favorite, Anna Kosturova, and a live auction which included a painting entitled ‘Bright Lights Over Only Seafoods’ donated by Tiko Kerr. The painting, which was valued at $6,500, was sold for an amazing $16,800. Aside from the painting, dinner for six to eight people was also auctioned to the guests.

According to David Isaac, Deputy Executive Director of the VNHS:

“The thousands raised at Goldfish Summer Splash will enable the Vancouver Native Health Society to expand our services to help more Downtown Eastside residents. In particular, we are extremely excited about developing a brand new kitchen to serve more than 150 people we already see every single day”

Guests at the event were also treated with cocktails, champagne and some delectable appetizers prepared by acclaimed Chef William Tse of Goldfish Pacific Kitchen. These treats included Pulled Short RIbs Sliders, fresh oysters, Pan Seared Hokkaido Scallops, Banana Spring Rolls, Kaffir Lime Infused Prawns, West Coast Mini Sushi Pizzas, and Miso Sake Marinated Chicken Skewers.

The guest list in the event included Vancouver actress Melanie Papalia, Cornerstone Group Consultant Farhan Rhemtulla, New Zealand actress Emma Lahana, Union Gospel Mission’s Amy Billingsley, Sherani Volberg of Pearls Auto Spa, singer/actress Dawn Chubai, award-winning radio personality Brother Jake Edwards, Curve Communications Client Services Manager Sophia Cheng, media personality Catherine Barr and artist Tiko Kerr.

Other guests at the event were Steve Bickerdike, Hayley Crichton, Jocelyn Soares, Robert Gagne, Christina Tickell, Tanya Greemo, June Iida, Shelley Haratmatny, Patti Colton and Howard Colton.

Initial estimates of the funds raised in the two and a half hour event reached more than $35,000. This is the second annual charity event hosted by Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, which offers diners a contemporary, sophisticated setting to indulge in food, fund and frivolity.

On Monday, May 10th we attended the hottest event of the season. We joined Bombay Sapphire Master Mixologist and Global Brand Ambassador Merlin Griffiths, plus Canada’s Grilling guru Rob Rainford for an evening of fine food and cutting-edge cocktails.

Over 1200 people attended, all whom enjoyed the free-flowing drinks and food, silent and live auction and the main headliner, Jay Leno.

In his coup-d’etat, Jay Leno who was to auction off a single tour of his garage and four tickets to the tonight show,  started the bidding at $2000 and granted the sale to everyone who raised their paddle, raising over $80,000 in less than a minute.

Overall, $225,000 was raised for the three charities, Canucks Autism Network, Arts Umbrella and VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, making a very successful evening for Brian Jessel.

To find out more about Brian Jessel BMW, check out their website, HERE.

The 7th Annual Orange Helmet Awards Dinner celebrated grassroots football in British Columbia, honoring the 2009 Provincial Champions from all levels of amateur football.