Leftover American alcohol to return to NSLC shelves

Nova Scotia announced plans on Thursday to sell the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp.’s remaining stores of U.S. alcohol, with net profits going to Feed Nova Scotia and other community food organizations.

This is the first time American alcohol will be available since being pulled from shelves on March 4, in response to U.S. tariffs.

“We will not be ordering any more from the United States once this inventory is gone,” said Premier Tim Houston in a release on Thursday.

Starting Monday, the $14 million U.S. alcohol inventory will be available in liquor stores across the province. However, in a statement to The Signal from NSLC spokeswoman Terah McKinnon, “assessing the products and returning them to NSLC store shelves across the province may take time.”

The province will give $4 million, the estimated net profit, to Feed Nova Scotia and community charities to support people in need.

“We’re just so happy,” said Debbie Simmonds, a co-ordinator at Preston Area Food Network, which runs food-based programs in Preston. “It was a pleasant surprise.”

Christina Carter, executive director of the Spryfield Food Network said, “We might be getting money from something that some people will look at as negative, but I really feel it’s a positive thing.” 

“We’re just so grateful for this funding announcement and the money that will be coming next year as a result of it, so that we can continue the program and all of the people that it impacts,” said Carter.

“We were happy to see that they were supporting a charity as a result of their sales,” adds Andrew Tanner, board president of the Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia and founder of Saltbox Brewery.

But Tanner is concerned about local companies having to compete with American sales.

“It’s just bad timing for local (alcohol sales) because December’s a very big month for local sales at the NSLC,” he said.