British Columbia and Alberta sign the first bilateral DTC wine agreement

British Columbia and Alberta sign a bilateral agreement letting licensed BC wineries ship wine directly to Alberta consumers — a one-directional route, not reciprocal both ways. It's the first bilateral, agreement-based direct-to-consumer deal in Canada to cover real, operating trade rather than a statement of intent — though it applies to wine only, with beer and spirits excluded until British Columbia's later commitment to full coverage. Manitoba had separately allowed direct-to-consumer alcohol sales unilaterally since 2018, but outside of a reciprocal agreement with another province.

The agreement doesn't take effect immediately; it takes until January 2025 for the program to actually start accepting orders (see below).