Winnipeg brewery owner says Manitoba-Ontario trade plans won't help beer producers

CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A Winnipeg brewery proprietor says promises to summation commercialized betwixt Manitoba and Ontario bash small to assistance Canadian brew producers hoping to spot their merchandise enactment shelves successful different provinces. 

On May 14, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Ontario Premier Doug Ford signed a memorandum of knowing (MOU) to region barriers connected goods, services and workers flowing betwixt the 2 neighbouring provinces.

"When it comes to interprovincial trade, we're consenting to sound down these barriers," said Kinew astatine a property league past week.  

"Manitoba, astatine the commencement of this process, was already 1 of the leaders with the fewest barriers, truthful we're consenting to proceed that bully enactment and privation to enactment retired that lukewarm and hearty handshake to each the different premiers to articulation america and bash this enactment together."

Ontario has besides signed commercialized MOUs with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

Kevin Selch, proprietor of Little Brown Jug Brewing Company successful Winnipeg, says the MOUs are "encouraging" but bash small to assistance breweries looking to grow crossed provincial borders. 

"The MOUs are encouraging but each 1 of them … each speech astir direct-to-consumer income of alcohol, which doesn't truly assistance the many, galore brew producers successful Canada," Selch said successful an interrogation with Rosemary Barton connected CBC News Network.

Direct user income could enactment for wineries that vessel azygous bottles of wine, but it won't payment companies similar Little Brown Jug who vessel brew by the lawsuit oregon pallet, Selch said. 

"It's each astir store shelves," helium said.  

"A fig of radical person reached retired to maine due to the fact that they spot the MOU and they deliberation that they're going to spot our brew adjacent them soon oregon it's going to beryllium easier to access, but that's conscionable not the lawsuit yet."

Selch told Barton helium would similar to spot Manitoba breweries get greater entree to liquor stores successful Ontario to facilitate "true escaped commercialized successful beer."

"I anticipation that the provinces tin truly travel unneurotic and marque an ambitious deal," Selch said.