The Bar Towel

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/17-charged- ... r-1.990337

Court challenge please. This affects all Canadian, I have mused with family and friend of going up and loading with a shit ton of craft beer...

What a terribly written article. Were these just people brining in beer for personal consumption or are they business owners? My guess is that they are the latter, otherwise I don't see how they could have possibly been caught.

Smallest order in the set was 6 cases, which could easily be personal, but 45 cases is a LOT of cheap Coors Light.

For pure PR reasons, the police/government would look terrible if they just arrested a bunch of guys looking to stock up on personal beer. You have to assume this was either bootlegger kind of stock or bars/restaurants. Be interesting to hear more when it comes out.

TheSevenDuffs wrote:, otherwise I don't see how they could have possibly been caught.

I am curious about this too. I have never been to New Brunswick, but are there like checkpoints at the border? If not how would they catch anyone doing this. Plus who is enforcing these laws? Does the local PD or the RCMP have nothing better to do then check the trunks of peoples cars?

Kel Varnsen wrote:

TheSevenDuffs wrote:, otherwise I don't see how they could have possibly been caught.

I am curious about this too. I have never been to New Brunswick, but are there like checkpoints at the border? If not how would they catch anyone doing this. Plus who is enforcing these laws? Does the local PD or the RCMP have nothing better to do then check the trunks of peoples cars?

That's why I think this HAD TO be businesses ...

And if it is, I don't have a problem with it at all. Businesses have a different set of rules than individuals because they are re-selling the beer.

Kel Varnsen wrote:

TheSevenDuffs wrote:, otherwise I don't see how they could have possibly been caught.

I am curious about this too. I have never been to New Brunswick, but are there like checkpoints at the border? If not how would they catch anyone doing this. Plus who is enforcing these laws? Does the local PD or the RCMP have nothing better to do then check the trunks of peoples cars?

I know at least one small group of people who have done massive orders via things like bierophile for their own use. I have no idea if they have gone through the proper NBLC channels.

There are of course no checkpoints at the border.

They would have been caught via a tip, likely. Another reason why my first assumption is that this is mostly bootlegger/business driven. You'd have reasonably little reason to rat on your neighbor for stuff he's bringing in for his own use.

But, if a local gang is running after hours bars, maybe someone would rat them out or the police were watching them, etc. Or, if you are a bar owner and have heard that your competition is getting their Coors light this way, you may be tempted to place a Crime Stoppers call.

Or, this is some very misguided attempt by the government/RCMP to "prove a point" by grabbing some very unlucky hockey team's stash. I can't see it though.

"for their own use" - the unofficial priviledge of those traveling a long way across provincial borders, which is in fact supporting the tourism industry (don't want to screw with that, ever.)

That stip club in Cross Point Québec should use that angle... "This nazi crackdown is hurting our business and costing young women opportunities!"

I cross border purchase to get things I can't get at home. To me it's a response to distribution problems. Some regulatory, some commercial.

The rest is just tax evasion in my book. Yes a retail price maybe lower in some places, but those residents may be shortchanged on services we have or are having the revenue raised in other ways. If you don't like how we raise or spend revenue in our jurisdictions, then vote against them, but smuggling solves nothing except feeding personal greed.

I wish the provinces could sort out their liquor laws to enable greater distribution or legal personal purchasing from other parts of the country. It would be good for our producers and consumers, but for commodity products that are available everywhere, I have no pity for tax evaders being busted.

When I lived in New Brunswick, I hated the time difference. Something just irked me about having to set my watch back 20 years.

sprague11 wrote:When I lived in New Brunswick, I hated the time difference. Something just irked me about having to set my watch back 20 years.

http://sadtrombone.com/

icemachine wrote:

sprague11 wrote:When I lived in New Brunswick, I hated the time difference. Something just irked me about having to set my watch back 20 years.

http://sadtrombone.com/

Think Sturgeon Falls with far less opportunities for good beer, a Jukebox where half the selections were Alan Jackson, and 3 times the snow.

Ok, now having read the actual article: This took place in Campbellford (15 mins from where I used to live). Knowing what some of the locals in the area are like, there's an off chance that this booze was being brought into NB so somebody could sell it out of their garage. i'm hoping there's a follow-up article here that names names as I knew of a few people in the Chaleur area that do this.

Tapsucker wrote: The rest is just tax evasion in my book. Yes a retail price maybe lower in some places, but those residents may be shortchanged on services we have or are having the revenue raised in other ways. If you don't like how we raise or spend revenue in our jurisdictions, then vote against them, but smuggling solves nothing except feeding personal greed.

That would be an interesting vote. Cut the beer tax by 50%, raise income tax or property tax by an equivalent amount. All the non-drinkers vote against it...

Tapsucker wrote:Yes a retail price maybe lower in some places, but those residents may be shortchanged on services we have or are having the revenue raised in other ways. If you don't like how we raise or spend revenue in our jurisdictions, then vote against them...

Why is it cheaper to drink in Montreal while the city infrastructure doesn't suck? Oh yeah - French Canadians have got big loud mouths. While we here love to be over-taxed and get jack for it.

It is in principle correct though that jurisdictions distribute revenue collection differently. There is often cultural pressure to make it so - and to spend it with accountability.

Belgian wrote:

Tapsucker wrote:Yes a retail price maybe lower in some places, but those residents may be shortchanged on services we have or are having the revenue raised in other ways. If you don't like how we raise or spend revenue in our jurisdictions, then vote against them...

Why is it cheaper to drink in Montreal while the city infrastructure doesn't suck? Oh yeah - French Canadians have got big loud mouths. While we here love to be over-taxed and get jack for it.

It is in principle correct though that jurisdictions distribute revenue collection differently. There is often cultural pressure to make it so - and to spend it with accountability.

IMO, we could use some louder mouths in this province!