Richard Best is hoping that common sense will prevail as Ontario's government considers a bill that would (slightly) liberalize Ontario's fruit wineries:
Parliament is now considering a bill (C-132 2008) that would allow farm wineries to sell their fruit wines at farmers markets in Ontario. The main reason given for a "no" vote to this bill is the fear of farm markets becoming drunken orgies. OK, that's overstating the issue, but this is a recurring theme that's brought up whenever there is a suggestion to expand the retail availability of locally-made alcohol products.
Let me say, emphatically, that this seriously outdated yet pervasive attitude shows a profound lack of respect for the citizens of Ontario. When I think of when and where alcohol is a problem, invariably the LCBO is involved, not wineries. Teens get their booze from the LCBO. Bars — often with large parking lots to accommodate their drink-and-drive customers — get their product mainly from the LCBO. Special Event permits do nothing to regulate consumption; they merely glean a few more "tax" dollars from consumers and recruit more sales for the LCBO. This list could go on.
When I think of farmers markets, I think of health-conscious people who are environmentally and socially responsible. To suggest that someone who, on a sunny Saturday morning, might buy a $15 bottle of strawberry wine at a farmers market and then be overcome by the need to consume it in the parking lot or on the way home is an insult to these people, to farmers and to society. It is society who is the watchdog on alcohol consumption, not the AGCO and certainly not the LCBO. The LCBO does little to educate people on the problems associated with misuse. Instead they put "Please drink responsibly" in small print on the expensive, glossy brochures they send out en masse at least monthly, where they boast about the pleasures of this bottle or that.
Ontario's wineries and micro-breweries are also watchdogs for responsibility. Staff are restricted in how much they can pour for any one person, and they are trained to recognize when someone's had too much. Probably more significantly, most winery shops close their doors at 5:00 or 5:30, as do micro-breweries. And farmers markets typically close at 2:00. It's also been shown that, of all beverage alcohol products, wine is the least likely to be abused.
So, to our decision makers, please show some respect and enlightenment when it comes to our wine industry and its customers, and let them show you that wine sold at farmers markets will not trigger the downfall of civilization, just as it hasn't in the many provinces and states that allow it.
Sincerely,
Richard Best
Ontario's alcohol control laws are still broadly similar to the immediate post-Prohibition era, and Ontario politicians clearly still think of Ontarians and other Canadians as being too weak to resist the call to over-indulge. This bill's tiny liberalization is a good example of how little the government trusts the common sense and responsible nature of the average citizen.
I'm afraid I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this bill defeated with little or no debate . . .
Posted by Nicholas at May 11, 2009 10:16 AMWhen I think of farmers markets, I think of health-conscious people who are environmentally and socially responsible.
How quaint. When I think of farmers' markets, I think of unwashed hippies who actually have a good bit of "environment" embedded in their pores and intertwined with their unwashed hair(s), and who typically already have a buzz on from their breakfast joint. But hey -- to each his own.
> To suggest that someone who, on a sunny Saturday morning, might buy a $15 bottle of strawberry wine at a farmers market and then be overcome by the need to consume it in the parking lot or on the way home is an insult to these people, to farmers and to society.
Having people who would buy a $15 bottle of strawberry wine at a farmers market out and about is an insult to everyone who actually works for a living. But you are right about the fact that these people are not likely to consume their swill on the way home. First, they are already stoned. Second, they will want to get the wine out of the bottle and in to a wineskin, so unless that have an empty goat bladder or whatever it is in the back of their Prius, they aren't going to be in a big hurry to drink the wine at the farmers' market. Third, there'e better stuff at the market that they can consume immediately -- ask a vendor for mushrooms with a wink and a nod, and you'll see what I mean.
Ontario's alcohol control laws are still broadly similar to the immediate post-Prohibition era, and Ontario politicians clearly still think of Ontarians and other Canadians as being too weak to resist the call to over-indulge.
And they are incorrect in this assumption, how? You clearly have not been out to a provincial park lately. Or driven up the 400 on a Friday evening, or down the 400 on a Sunday afternoon. You've clearly never been to Keswick.
This bill's tiny liberalization is a good example of how little the government trusts the common sense and responsible nature of the average citizen.
That, or the government wants to more accurately control the mechanism it uses to enable addiction. If you have small producers selling their wares willy-nilly, you can't target the right populations. The real point behind the LCBO -- and I think more obviously, with Brewers Retail -- is to target specific populations to ensure addiction and thus dependency on social services and policies that service that addiction. Once you have people dependent on those things, the party that delivers or promises to deliver those services is the party that keeps getting elected. This is, perhaps, a bit of a reach with the LCBO, but not at all a reach with Brewers Retail -- go to a shitty neighborhood in any Ontario city, and there will likely be a Beer Store within walking distance of wherever you go. Go to any subsidized housing project that you can think of, and there will CERTAINLY be a Beer Store right around the corner.
Humph.
Posted by: Jon at May 11, 2009 12:15 PMJon claims he was drunk while composing the comment above.
Posted by: Nicholas at May 11, 2009 06:51 PM
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