How to Get a Liquor License in Canada – Applications and Resources by Province

If you’re wondering how to get a liquor license in Canada, the first thing to understand is that there isn’t a “Canadian” liquor license. In Canada, liquor licenses are administered by provincial governments. This can be a source of confusion, because not all provincial governments offer the same licenses, and, when they do have similar ones (e.g., private liquor store, wine store, bar, restaurant, special event) the licenses have different names.

In Canada, Alberta is the only province where all liquor stores are privately owned and operated. BC and Saskatchewan have both private and government-run liquor stores. All other provinces/territories’ liquor stores are government owned and operated.

Below is a quick reference to currently available liquor licenses in Canada by province and territory, with links to the provincial licensing authority and a list of licenses available. If you need help applying for any of the licenses below, Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors makes it easy. Our liquor consultants do the work, you reap the rewards.

Alberta

Alberta Gaming & Liquor Commission (AGLC)

Liquor license applications available:

• Class A: restaurants/food services, minors allowed
• Class B: liquor services when there is an entrance fee (stadiums, recreational facilities, theatres, racetracks)
• Class C: private, non-profit facilities
• Class D: retail liquor store
• Class E: manufacturer
• Class F: ferment-on-premise beer, wine, and cider facilities
• Other licenses: public special event, private special event, industrial use, hospitality

British Columbia

BC Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch (BCLCRB)

Liquor license applications available:

• Liquor primary: bars, clubs, night clubs, stadiums, theatres, aircraft
• Food primary: restaurants, bistros, cafes
• Manufacturer
• Agent
• UBrew and UVin
• Catering
• Rural licensee agency store
• Other licenses: special event, liquor charitable auction permit, ethyl alcohol purchase permit

There is currently a moratorium on licenses for wine stores, speciality wine stores, and licensee retail stores (private liquor stores).

Manitoba

Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA)

Liquor license applications available:

• Liquor store, retail beer vendor, speciality wine store
• Dining room (restaurant), dining room lounge, beverage room, entertainment facility
• Customer/member service (clubs, aircraft, railway, excursion ship, salons, sports and recreational facilities, veterans’ organizations, law enforcement agencies)
• In-store brewing (wine and beer making stores)
• Manufacturer’s license

New Brunswick

New Brunswick Justice and Public Safety

Liquor license applications available:

• Permanent liquor establishment (dining room/restaurant, club, in-house brewery, catering, exotic entertainment, non-exotic entertainment)
• Wine serving license
• Special event license
• Distiller
• Winery

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland Labrador Liquor Corporation

Liquor license applications available:

• Restaurant/lounge
• Airport establishment
• Ferment on-premise
• Hotel/motel
• Recreational facility
• Tour boat operation
• Tourist home (bed and breakfast)
• Transportation services (aircraft, railway, ship)
• Club
• Delivery service
• Brewer’s agent, brewer’s distributor
• Bonded warehouse
• Brewery, distillery, winery
• Special events

Northwest Territories

NWT Liquor Licensing Board

Liquor license applications available:

• Class A: liquor primary
• Class B: food primary
• Class C: mobile license (catering services)
• Class D: liquor incidental (canteen, bed and breakfast, remote lodge, recreational and cultural facilities)
• Manufacturing license

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC)

Liquor license applications available:

• General permits (for any local business requiring alcohol for medicinal/health purposes, laboratory and scientific purposes, food preparation, or religious services
• Registered representative (agent)
• Private wine store
• NSLC agency store (rural store)
• Manufacturer
• Special occasion

Nunavut

Nunavut Liquor & Cannabis Board (NLCB)

Liquor license applications available:

• Aircraft, ship
• Brew pub
• Canteen (military and quasi-military messes, canteens in fire halls)
• Club
• Cocktail lounge
• Cultural and sports facilities
• Dining room (restaurant)
• Guest room (registered guests of tourism establishments)
• Off-premise (off-sales of beer)
• Private recreational facility
• Special license (for the sale and consumption of liquor or beer only to a commercial corporation operating in an isolated area)

Ontario

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)

Liquor license applications available:

• Liquor sales license (bars, restaurants, lounges, night clubs)
• Grocery store (for the sale of beer, wine, cider in grocery stores)
• Wine boutique in a grocery store
• Ferment on-premise (wine or beer made on premise for customers to consume off-site)
• Auction
• Special occasions (private, public, liquor industry promo, tailgate event)

Prince Edward Island

PEI Liquor Control Commission (PEILCC)

Liquor license applications available:

• Dining room (restaurant)
• Lounge
• Special premise (recreational, sporting, cultural facilities)
• Club
• Military canteen
• Tourist home (bed and breakfast)
• Caterer
• Packaged sales (off-sales for patrons who have ordered a full-course meal prior to purchase, or when takeout or delivery foods are ordered) in dining room, club, special premise

Quebec

Quebec Alcohol, Racing and Gaming Commission

Liquor license applications available:

• Bar license
• Winemaking and brewing
• Grocery or cider seller’s permit
• Restaurant permit
• Common carrier (planes, boats, trains)

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA)

Liquor license applications available:

• Liquor retail
• Commercial permit (restaurants, bars, taverns)
• Direct to consumer importation authorization (currently allows for BC-produced wine and craft spirits for personal consumption to be directly shipped to a Saskatchewan resident)
• Religious use
• Competition

Yukon

Yukon Liquor Board (YLB)

Liquor license applications available:

• Food primary (restaurant, café)
• Liquor primary (bar, pub, nightclub)
• Dual license (allows a food primary license to convert to liquor primary later in the day)
• Mess beer license (for military canteens, mining, construction, a department of the Government of Canada or Government of the Yukon)

Need a Liquor License in Canada? With Thrive Advisors Help, It’s Easier than You Think

If your business needs to get a liquor license in Canada, contact the liquor consultants at Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors. We make liquor licensing easy, providing many services for liquor licensees, including liquor license applications, license renewal, liquor retail operations, and strategic planning.