Reading Time: 2 minutes The Alberta government’s ban on imports of wine from British Columbia is poised to be the first case challenged under the new interprovincial Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). The British Columbia government announced Monday it will formally challenge the Alberta ban through the CFTA dispute settlement process. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley on Feb. 6 ordered […] Read more
B.C. plans trade challenge of Alberta’s wine ban
Trudeau under pressure to cork provinces’ wine, oil row
Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced pressure on Wednesday from an important political ally and the business community to settle an oil pipeline dispute that has sparked fears of a trade war between two neighbouring provinces. Alberta and British Columbia are scrapping over Kinder Morgan Canada’s planned $7.4 billion Trans Mountain pipeline […] Read more
Alberta halts B.C. wine purchases in pipeline feud
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Alberta struck back at neighbouring British Columbia on Tuesday, halting purchases of that province’s wines in retaliation for its potentially holding up expansion of a crude pipeline. B.C. proposed rules last week to temporarily block increased oil shipments through the province, adding another hurdle to Kinder Morgan Canada’s planned $7.4 billion Trans Mountain […] Read more
Australia takes Canada to WTO over wine rules
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — Australia has complained at the World Trade Organization about Canada’s rules on wine sales, expanding a similar U.S. complaint against one province. In October, Washington accused British Columbia of providing an unfair advantage to local vineyards by giving their wine an exclusive retail channel in grocery store shelves and cutting out […] Read more
B.C. NDP’s ag critic named ag minister
Reading Time: 2 minutes The agriculture critic for British Columbia’s opposition New Democrats will be the minister of agriculture as the party takes the governing reins. Lana Popham, the MLA for the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich South, was named Tuesday as ag minister in Premier John Horgan’s cabinet. Horgan took over as premier after Christy Clark’s Liberals, who […] Read more
CFIA eyes replacing ‘Cellared in Canada’ claim for wine
Reading Time: 2 minutes Labels declaring blends of imported and domestic wine sold in Canada as “Cellared in Canada” could soon be on the way out in favour of more specific wording. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Thursday announced a round of consumer and stakeholder consultations, running until June 30, on a proposal for new wording on […] Read more
China seen set to become world’s second-biggest wine market
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris | Reuters — China is set to overtake Britain and France to become the world’s second-largest wine consumer by value behind the U.S. by 2020 as consumers turn to more middle-range wines, the International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR) organization said Thursday. In a study for wine fair Vinexpo it forecast Chinese wine consumption […] Read more
B.C. to defend wine industry against U.S. trade action
Reading Time: < 1 minute Vancouver | Reuters — The British Columbia government said Wednesday it would defend its wine industry against a trade challenge from the U.S., and was confident it was not breaking any international trade rules. Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. said it started action against Canada at the World Trade Organization, accusing B.C. of discriminating against U.S. […] Read more
Dan Aykroyd’s winemaker raises funds for expansion
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Niagara-area maker of actor Dan Aykroyd’s wine line is set to sell up to $8.8 million in shares to expand its main wine production site. Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits on Dec. 2 announced an agreement with Paradigm Capital and GMP Securities to sell up to 22.73 million common shares at 22 cents per […] Read more
World wine output seen at four-year low
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters –– Worldwide wine production is expected to fall this year to its lowest since 2012, chiefly due to adverse weather that sharply cut output in France and South America, wine body OIV estimated on Thursday. Global wine output is set to decrease by five per cent compared with last year to 259.5 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
