The Okanagan Sprits Craft Distillery in Kelowna (Vernon Matters file photo)

By Liam Verster

Production Cap Removal, Stock in Stores

City of Vernon joins call in support of B.C. craft distilleries

Apr 15, 2025 | 4:34 PM

The CIty of Vernon will be joining a call to action to support craft distillers.

This past February, in response to tariff threats from the United States, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce joined a call to have barriers that British Columbia’s craft distilleries face removed.

The call included removing a production cap that restricted craft distilleries to only produce 50,000 litres of spirits per year, and one to have B.C. based products available on the shelves of liquor stores instead of just at their distilleries.

At its regular meeting Monday, April 14, Vernon City Council briefly discussed the letter the Chamber had sent to the province, at the request of Councillor Kari Gares.

“As everyone knows, with the ensuing retaliatory tariffs that we have, the provincial government has actually taken a bunch of U.S. product off the [B.C. Liquor Store shelves], in hopes that we will buy B.C. or we will buy Canadian,” Gares said.

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“But there is a bit of a challenge that we have, and the challenge is tha craft distilleries have a limitation on how much they can produce and sell. Once they produce or sell over 50,000 litres then there’s some punitive damages that are actually occurred on there, and obviously the province instilled this to try to keep that craft distillery exactly that:craft.

“Now that we’re in different times, it is evident that changes should probably be considered.”

Gares put forward a motion to have the Mayor of Vernon write a letter in support of the call from the Chamber to eliminate the barriers craft distillers face. Council voted unanimously in favour of the proposal and the Mayor was tasked with writing a letter to the province voicing the city’s support for distilleries.