City Council Motion

These remarks were made by Adam Chatburn, President, CAMRA BC – Vancouver Chapter at the standing Planning, Transportation and Environment Committee session on April 24th 2013 in support of the motion outlined below.

Madam Chair,

My name is Adam Chatburn, I live on West 20th Avenue in Vancouver. I am the President of CAMRA BC – Vancouver Chapter a consumer advocacy group promoting and supporting Craft-Beer in BC.

I am speaking to support the motion brought by Councillor George Affleck. There seems to be plenty of support for this motion across the Council so I will keep my remarks brief:

I am aware that both the zoning and licensing departments are already investigating what’s necessary to allow beer lounges, hopefully this motion will hasten the process and formalize it into tangible results that can be shared soon with the public and industry alike.

The main problem is that city zoning generally only allows breweries to set up on Industrial land however they will not issue liquor licenses to establishments in these zones. Strictly speaking this should not be an issue as the lounges specifically do not require a liquor primary licence as outlined in the LCLB Policy Directive 13-02. They only require endorsements on their Provincial manufacturing licence. these applications for endorsement are subject to public and local government comment but only in relation to hours of service, capacity , noise and location.

CAMRA BC as a consumer advocacy organisation was not invited to  participate in a recent closed door meeting between Vancouver brewers and the zoning department however we feel there is a broader issue that should inform the decisions and investigation beyond the present needs of local brewers. Specifically we should be putting into place a strategy for more new brewers to locate in light industrial areas and to simplify the application for beer lounges. We feel this would encourage more start-ups and encourage expansion in this rapidly growing industry.

An industry which is not only creating new jobs it is also revitalizing Vancouver’s shrinking industrial base. With an eye on encouraging sustainable and local consumption money stays within the province instead of flowing out to multinational brewing corporations. The other benefit is to tourism.

Gastronomic tourism is becoming a major factor when people choose to visit an area and cities like Portland and San Diego have styled themselves as craft beer destinations attracting tens of thousands of guests and millions of tourist dollars. It is our hope that Vancouver adopts this model and becomes synonymous in North America with craft-beer. The knowledge, desire, intent and finance are all in place – all that remains is for the city to become more flexible and tangibly focused on helping this burgeoning industry.

Many thanks for allowing me to speak and to all the councillors for their patience and help.

Enabling the Micro-brewery and Distillery Industry

MOVER: George Affleck
SECONDER:

WHEREAS:

1. The City of Vancouver prides itself on its local tourism sector;

2. The City of Vancouver wants to foster a robust local food scene, which includes the distilling of spirits, the making of wine and brewing of craft beer;

3. The Province of BC announced Policy Directive 13-02 effective March 1, 2013, which allows for changes to brewery and distillery operations in the province and the ability for customers to sample and purchase locally produced spirits and beer for on-site consumption;

4. The policy change thus align regulations for brewers and distillers with wineries who have been able to serve and sell wine for on-site consumption for years

5. The City of Vancouver’s Zoning and Development Bylaw only permits micro-breweries, wineries and distilleries on industrial land to serve or sell product in a limited way because industrial land is not zoned for liquor primary;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

A. THAT staff report back to Council on the required changes to the relevant regulations within the City of Vancouver that would permit micro-breweries, wineries and distilleries on industrial land to sample products produced on-site, thus being consistent with provincial liquor policy.

– Passed unanimously.