Savary Island is one step closer to having a liquor outlet.
The provincial Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) has invited community input to establish a rural agency store (RAS) at the Savary Island General Store.
Bruce Brown, owner of the store, said getting to the point of public consultation has been a long process. He said this is the third time that an LDB manager has travelled to the island and taken a look.
“It may be that we don’t qualify again but at least it is going to public input, which is good,” he said.
Brown believes the Savary Island store fits the criteria for an RAS. The LDB was previously unwilling to put the application to public input, so at least now, people have a say, he said. If the people don’t want it, then the people have spoken, Brown added. He said the vast majority of people he’s spoken with on the island support an RAS, however.
“This should have happened 15 years ago. This process was going on 15 years ago and one person complained. Only two supported it so I guess they looked at it as 50 per cent opposition.”
Brown said he is constantly being asked for liquor off-sales in Savary Island’s Riggers Pub-Style Restaurant, which is licensed, and which he also owns and operates.
“I’m always having to explain to people why I can’t sell,” Brown said.
Brown sorts and hauls away 3,000 units of alcohol containers a week at the general store.
“We are not selling the products and getting the economic benefits from this massive amount of empties,” he said.
Brown believes there is huge demand for liquor sales on the island and being able to sell alcohol in an RAS would provide a longer season for his businesses. Being able to sell groceries and liquor at the same outlet would be complementary.
Liquor sales in the general store would provide for at least one more full-time job on the island and there could be more, depending upon demand. Brown said he sees his businesses being open from Easter through to Thanksgiving if he’s allowed to make liquor sales.
During peak season, Savary Island’s population varies between 2,500 to 3,500 residents, Brown said. At any time during the spring and fall there are between 200 to 500. During the summer, Savary Island has the highest population density of any gulf island in the Strait of Georgia, he added. Cortes Island has three liquor outlets and a full-time population of about 1,000 people, he said.
“This is the one piece of the puzzle that would make my store better,” Brown said. “It’s not even about the alcohol. I believe the idea is not making giant profits off the liquor. It’s to complement the grocery business, which is exactly what I need.”
It is fantastic news if the LDB is moving ahead and will allow liquor sales on Savary Island, said Paddy Treavor, president of the Powell River chapter of Campaign for Real Ale Society (CAMRA). “As I’ve commented in the past, I can see no legal reason for them [LDB] to deny the application. Their decision to not accept his applications in the past seems to fly in the face of LDB policy.”
Treavor said the regulations do not appear to accommodate islands. An example is the specification that an outlet must be more than 10 kilometres by all-weather road from the nearest liquor agency. Savary Island is less than 10 kilometres away from Lund.
“It’s quite obvious that islands don’t have roads to the mainland,” Treavor said. “After 6 pm during the high season, the water taxi doesn’t run. The ability for people to get over, especially those on vacation, is impossible.
“Heading over in the morning, the Lund liquor store isn’t open. People typically have to pack over all of their alcohol if they want to have a few drinks while they are on the island for a week.”
Treavor said having liquor sales on Savary Island is not a draw for people to go over there but it makes matters more convenient for those that are there.
He said CAMRA is interested in the Savary Island rural agency store situation because Bruce Brown and Riggers Restaurant are huge supporters of Townsite Brewing craft beer.
“We are all about trying to support businesses that put forward local craft breweries,” he said.
