CALGARY, AB – CBC News reports that the Government of Alberta will need to pay restitution to two out-of-province breweries over a controversial beer markup structure that favoured Alberta breweries.
Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Gillian Marriott has ordered the government to pay $1.9 million to Great Western Brewing and $163,964 to Steam Whistle Brewing.
Both breweries had been granted injunctions in 2016 that allowed them to continue paying the lower markup fees that were in place before the government implemented a scaled fee structure in 2015 that increased markup amounts paid on beer imported into the province. This structure was revised in 2016 to have the same base markup for all breweries regardless of location, but a subsequently introduced rebate program for Alberta breweries was deemed unconstitutional by Justice Marriott.
Earlier this month, the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) rejected an appeal by Alberta in a case filed by beer importers Artisan Ales, and ordered that the rebate program be repealed or amended within six months.
For more details, see the full CBC News article.