Province scraps liquor price hike two weeks after taking effect

Alberta has ordered an immediate reversal of minimum alcohol price increases at bars and restaurants, less than two weeks after the changes took effect on June 9.

The AGLC had raised the minimum price for draft beer to $0.25 per ounce from $0.16, putting the lowest legal price of a 20-ounce pint at $5, up from $3.20 — a 56 percent increase. Dale Nally, Alberta's minister of service and red tape reduction, said Monday the province directed the AGLC to reverse the changes "to provide businesses and consumers with greater certainty and consistency."

"Alberta's government is proud to support our hospitality and liquor industry as they create jobs, attract visitors and deliver memorable experiences for Albertans and tourists alike," Nally said in a statement.

The reversal is tied to the province's ongoing clash with Calgary over the city's new noise bylaws affecting festival tents during Stampede. Nally used the reversal to take a swipe at city hall, saying he would "encourage the City of Calgary to take the same approach by working with industry and local businesses to find solutions that support jobs, tourism and the Stampede music scene, including repealing its misguided noise bylaw."

Mayor Jeromy Farkas responded Sunday by criticizing the AGLC decision on social media, calling it a move by the "fun police" that would hurt local businesses before their busiest season. "This last-minute hike before Stampede will raise the minimum price of a beer from $3.20 to $5, a 60 percent increase," Farkas wrote, adding the hike would "negatively affect thousands of workers and create additional problems for bars and restaurants already facing higher costs." The mayor's language echoed criticism Smith had directed at Calgary's noise rules the day before.