Whitehorse Daily Star

As summer dawns, YLC boosts its prices

Yukoners will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets on Canada Day

By Palak Mangat on June 20, 2018

Yukoners will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets on Canada Day if they want to enjoy booze in the territory – but not draught beer, the premier assured Tuesday.

A letter sent by the Yukon Liquor Corp. (YLC) to wholesale licensees late last week which laid out some of the details of the planned price increases.

The letter from the YLC shows that increases to both retail and wholesale alcohol will take effect July 1.

Table wine is expected to see a slight decrease in average by about 13 cents a bottle.

Hard liquor will increase on average by more than $2 a bottle.

The letter also indicates that packed beers and ciders will rise on average by about 38 cents while draught beer and ciders will be bumped up by 27 cents per liter.

That stands in contrast to what Premier Sandy Silver told the Star Tuesday afternoon, when he suggested his government did not approve a specific increase.

“When it comes to this, I want to be very clear: we’re not increasing the price of draught beer,” Silver said.

He noted that the government has asked the YLC to communicate this to restaurants and the public.

While he said the corporation is sometimes affected by market price changes, Silver reassured Yukoners that there was “no decision made by us to increase the price of draught beer.”

The letter, sent by Steve Cummings, the YLC’s director of operations, says that come July, prices “will reflect current supplier pricing, freight, excise, duty, revised mark-up, cost of service differential, liquor tax and other fees and deposits.”

While the territory’s official Opposition party may not be questioning that justification, it said the issue raises questions about the level of communication between departments.

“I think price fluctuations are normal,” admitted Stacey Hassard, the Yukon Party’s interim leader.

But with less than two weeks left until the Canada Day long weekend, Hassard wondered whether “the government is either trying or sneak this increase through, or they have no idea what they’re doing with their departments.”

Meanwhile, Silver continued to offer clarification on the planned hikes, suggesting the opposition party’s release may be misleading.

“I think the Yukon Party has really gone out on a limb,” he said, maintaining that his government did not approve any hike to the price of the specific type of beer.

He added he was “not going to be speaking on behalf of other price changes.”

The impacts of the hike will be felt strongly, according to some local bar and restaurant representatives.

A Whitehorse general manager of a bar, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed to the Star that the hike could have negative impacts on both the business and consumers.

The manager added that staff had only heard about the increases through media reports.

“That leads back to my comment about certainty and business,” said Hassard.

He said he is disappointed, as there seems to be a “disconnect somewhere” between the YLC and government.

CBC Yukon obtained an email written by the owners of Dirty Northern and The Miner’s Daughter, which has a location on Main Street.

Sent to the premier, John Streicker, the minister responsible for the YLC, and YLC president Matt King, it estimated the hikes could cost their business up to $3,000.

Nobody from the liquor corporation – including King – was made available to the Star either Tuesday afternoon or all of this morning to comment on the round of price increases and their impacts on businesses and consumers.

Years ago, the liquor corporation issued news releases explaining any price increases in its products.

Now, its price boosts are unannounced.

Comments (10)

Up 0 Down 0

Hugh Mungus on Jun 26, 2018 at 8:01 pm

@ reality

Booze is a tremendous strain on the social safety net. Alcohol related illnesses and deaths are a massive problem in Canada and even more so in the Yukon. I’m all for taxing the hell out of booze and tobacco. People who choose to use cost us all.

Up 5 Down 0

as if. on Jun 26, 2018 at 9:02 am

I don't know how anyone could be losing money when alcohol is marked up so much. Buy a 5oz glass of wine in the restaurant or bar and it's usually about $6-7/glass, or more, on a bottle of wine that costs you $10 at the store.

Don't even get me started on the mark up of 1oz of hard liquor.

We all know that any increase would only directly affect the customer.

And, I am not naïve, I know that there is overhead, but I really don't think it's the liquor that they are losing on--it's likely trying to keep up with the continuing increasing costs of rent, power, etc.

Up 6 Down 1

Sillig on Jun 24, 2018 at 5:54 pm

But beer is really expensive in the Yukon.

Up 5 Down 5

woodcutter on Jun 22, 2018 at 8:41 am

Still cheaper then Gas. if these little increases are going to break the bank, then perhaps you should stop drinking. Everything else moves up in price, why all the hoopla on few cents.

I remember when draft was a $1.00 and a hi-ball or beer was $2.50, every price hike the bar industry proclaimed there customers would face hardship and it would be bad for business, yet they are still here still thriving and creating social problems like the have been doing since they were first invented.

If you don't like the prices, don't buy, better yet make your own, its not that hard.

Up 8 Down 0

ProScience Greenie on Jun 21, 2018 at 12:28 pm

What's really crazy is that our local brewers only have to haul up the ingredients to make their fine brews without having to haul up water. Their tasty beers should be very low cost but oddly are as expensive as beers from Outside. That's just nuts. And then throw on a carbon sin tax on top of regular sin taxes and it's nothing more than a sleazy cash grab.

Bottom line, having a low cost locally brewed beer is not and never will be a sin.

Up 22 Down 1

BnR on Jun 21, 2018 at 7:37 am

...." ' Hassard wondered whether “the government is either trying or sneak this increase through, or they have no idea what they’re doing with their departments.' "
I think it's the latter Stacey....
Y'know, I, like plenty of others, voted these guys in for a change. Sandys a good guy, but man, this next territorial election, this group is going to get booted out of office so hard it'll hurt to sit down for a week.

Up 13 Down 1

Yukoner on Jun 20, 2018 at 4:52 pm

I can understand that there might be an increase in price but a couple weeks before Canada Day is bs. Plus, when you don’t get a proper explanation from anyone then there’s gonna be problems, especially if your gonna lose money from the customers not buying another beer.

Sorry to go off topic a little bit at the same time regarding prices and shipping or as they state freight which a lot of companies use as an excuse, I was looking for a new vehicle and decided to visit a local dealership. They quoted me a price then I decided to check down south. Well, another dealership south quoted me 10 thousand dollars difference in price, all said and done. When talking to the dealership in Whitehorse again they told me sales tax, freight and so on. So who is telling the truth?

Up 16 Down 2

Groucho d'North on Jun 20, 2018 at 4:37 pm

Each year YLC profits are going up according to their posted annual reports. But apparently our Liberal government needs even more money from consumers. Booze prices will be increased again when the truckers increase their prices due to the (revenue neutral) carbon tax...another brilliant Liberal inflation builder. I suspect the government marijuana enterprise will not generate the revenue they are hoping for and YG's cost of sales will be much greater than anticipated, so $8/gram is just a starting point for the retail price of pot. It will go higher.

Up 27 Down 1

reality on Jun 20, 2018 at 3:49 pm


Fact: Canadians pay 5x more beer tax than their American neighbours.
Fact: 47% of the price of beer is government tax.
Fact: The escalating beer tax is going to keep going up.

On their drink of choice, middle class Canadians already pay enough tax. Yet, the government has passed an automatic escalator tax on beer that will:

Happen in perpetuity every year!
Without a vote!
Forever increasing taxes on Canadian hospitality.

axethebeertax.ca

Up 27 Down 4

ProScience Greenie on Jun 20, 2018 at 3:26 pm

Getting harder and harder for an average working person to afford the odd cold beer after work or a nice glass of wine for a special dinner. For many though, with good jobs with our number one Yukon employer, they won't even notice this or any other increase in taxes, so-called sin or not. The have and have-not divide grows, not good Liberals.

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.