Here are some milestones in the history of liquor in Alberta.
1892 |
Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Ordinance grants hotels under licence to sell all types of beverage alcohol for consumption on premises. |
1906 |
Province's Liquor License Ordinance provides for issuing of licences and sale of beverage alcohol on licensed premises at both wholesale and retail levels. |
1916 |
Albertans vote for prohibition; province's Liquor Act proclaimed, abolishing beverage alcohol sales in the province. |
1918 |
Federal order-in-council prohibits importing liquor from one province to another or from outside Canada , outlawing mail-order of beverage alcohol products. |
1924 |
Albertans vote to end prohibition; the Liquor Act is repealed and Liquor Control Act proclaimed; the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) is formed, and government assumes control of retailing and wholesaling of beverage alcohol. |
1925 |
Palliser Hotel in Calgary is first licensed hotel in Alberta , followed by the MacDonald Hotel in Edmonton.
The first price list printed (quart of Scotch fetches $5.25, imperial quart of higher quality whisky is $7.25).
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1932 |
ALCB officers armed with handguns enforce the Liquor Control Act until enforcement duties transfer to RCMP. |
1934 |
Beer off-sales permitted from hotels. |
1942 |
In support of the war effort, the amount of beverage alcohol released from bond is reduced; all beverage alcohol is removed from restricted list by 1947. |
1950 |
Liquor Control Act amended; liquor licences could be issued to clubs and canteens with beer licences if they provide regular meal service. |
1951 |
ALCB grants 409 hotel beer licences, 69 club licences, 31 canteen licences, five brewers' licences, one distillery licence; 63 liquor stores are operating. |
1952 |
ALCB has 400 full-time staff and nets $13 million for government's general revenue fund. |
1958 |
New laws proclaimed: Liquor Control Act, Liquor Licensing Act, and the Liquor Plebiscites Act.
First dining lounge and lounge licences issued to Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Railways, and the Wales Hotel in Calgary and Mac Don ald Hotel in Edmonton .
First permits granted to individuals; first special permits granted to doctors, veterinarians, druggists, and ministers.
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1965 |
Customer signature no longer needed on counter slips to buy alcohol. |
1967 |
For the first time since 1927 beverage rooms could be used by men and women together. |
1969 |
First self-serve liquor store opens at Westmount in Edmonton . |
1970 |
ALCB stops bottling products (before, ALCB bought bulk barrels of wine and spirits and bottled them into stone jars and bottles with the ALCB brand for sale in stores). |
1971 |
Age of majority for drinking and meeting other adult responsibilities reduced to 18 from 21 years; duty free stores established. |
1973 |
Domestic Beer warehousing transfers to the Alberta Brewers' Agents Limited (ABA) using a common warehouse for ABA members. |
1974 |
ALCB carries more than 1,000 product lines. |
1975 |
143 liquor stores operate in the province. |
1980 |
New Liquor Control Act is proclaimed; licensing matters that were historically in the statute are now addressed in five separate regulations. |
1985 |
Wine boutiques introduced. |
1988 |
Hotel-based cold beer stores approved. |
1990 |
Hotel off-sales expanded from beer only to beer, wine and spirits. |
1991 |
Bill 42, Liquor Control Amendment Act is proclaimed law. New liquor Administration Regulation came into force. |
1993 |
Government announced the privatization of the liquor retail industry. |