DCHP-2

liquor commission DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Administration, especially Prince Edward Island and Nunavut

  a regulatory body controlling the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages.

  Type: 5. Frequency — Chart 1 shows that the term liquor commission has a Canadian dimension with twice the frequency of the US attestations. It was in widespread use in the earlier part of the 20th century (see the quotations from Quebec, Ontario, BC, Nova Scotia), but is today used in more restricted contexts. Chart 2 shows that this term for a regulatory body today usually referred to as liquor board in spoken Canadian English, is still attested in all provinces as part of official language use. In PEI and in Nunavut, however, the term is very frequent for two reasons: first, some hits derive from the term liquor control commission, which seems to be a PEI term. Second, and more importantly, however, the term appears to be a preservation on PEI (comparable to table cream) and in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and possibly Nova Scotia of earlier language use in Canada and North America. This more conservative term is in line with PEI's relative geographic isolation. The case is clearer for Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, but it also applies to PEI and, perhaps, other Maritimes locations. It will remain to be seen whether the Confederation Bridge, which has spanned that Strait between PEI and NB since the late 1990s, will have a measurable effect on PEI's linguistic usage.
  COD-2 marks the term as "Cdn" and limits it to "in the territories and certain provinces".

  See also: liquor control board  bond store  liquor board  

  • In Alberta, NWT and Nunavut, liquor commission is the official name for the alcohol control board. In Manitoba and PEI, it is liquor control commission.

  • 1916  Other resolutions affecting the strengthening of Provincial temperance laws along the lines of the elimination of liquor commission storage warehouses and advertising, and the elimination of patronage in the appointment of temperance law enforcement officials, were enthusiastically adopted.
  • 1923  In Victoria I also met Dave Macfarlane, formerly Yukon territorial secretary-treasurer, now chief accountant to the liquor commission of Victoria. 
  • 1927  D.B. Hanna, Esq. Chairman, Ontario Liquor Commission, Toronto.
    Dear Sir: You are held in the highest personal regard by those who best know your real character, and deservedly command, to an exceptional degree, public confidence and esteem. 
  • 1935  Paul Sauve, Conservative, Two Mountains, wants to repeal the right granted to the Quebec Liquor Commission in 1932 to bring anybody suspected of being guilty of liquor law infringements before a magistrate enquiry. 
  • 1947  The Nova Scotia House also learned in the report of the Provincial Liquor Commission that number [sic] of liquor permits and licences issued in 1946 was less than in the previous year, while convictions under the Liquor Control Act increased. 
  • 1954  He is NOT responsible for the patronage appointment of a Territorial Liquor Commissioner, nor for the bureaucratic set-up of the new liquor commission.
  • 1978  The price of many brands of wines and spirits sold through the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission's retail outlets will increase Monday. A few will go down slightly in price. The largest increases involve French wines, most of which will rise by 50 cents to $1.50 a bottle. D.W. Pulsifer, general manager of the liquor commission, said the main reason for increases in imported spirits is the rapid fluctuation in currencies. He attributed the increases for French wines to the poor 1977 season and to reduced stocks. 
  • 1980  Neither the Progressive Conservative Government of New Brunswick nor the Tory party required any work in return for regular pay cheques, says a long-time party supporter who was paid by both for more than a year. [...] Mr. Woodworth earlier had turned down Mr. Smith's offer of a job with the liquor commission because the pay was poor and it involved Saturday work. 
  • 1980  He also became parliamentary assistant to the justice minister and helped steer a bill on the Quebec liquor commission through a legislative committee. 
  • 1986  Prince Edward Island's 3,600 civil servants will receive an 8.2 per cent wage increase over the next two years under a contract signed Tuesday with the provincial Government. [...] The agreement provides improvements in hours of work for liquor commission employees, who previously worked a 40-hour week. They now will work 37 1/2 hours, as most civil servants do. 
  • 1987  Ray Wiggle of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corp., however, says that while interest in do-it-yourself beer is growing, it remains a small cottage industry with little impact on breweries. Douglas Chaff of the Newfoundland Liquor Commission agrees there is no real concern yet. 
  • 1987  Retail prices on most alcohol beverages in Manitoba will increase May 4, the Manitoba Liquor Commission has announced. 
  • 1994  Ontario imposes no limits on home brewing. Manitoba limits each household to a maximum of 50 gallons of wine plus 50 of beer per year. In the Northwest Territories, permission for home brewing is required from the territorial liquor commission. 
  • 2005  In Halifax, the end of the war led to days of riots by celebrating but frustrated sailors and civilians because all the bars and stores were closed down. "On VE-Day I had gone into Halifax to see the victory parade and I was immediately picked up by some officers in a station wagon and put on guard duty at the liquor commission ..." 
  • 2005  Italmelodie and Steve's, each bursting with every conceivable instrument, kept expanding next door: Steve's through a row of old pawn, antique and music shops along St. Antoine St., just west of the Main, and Italmelodie in an old triplex, funeral parlour and liquor commission on Jean Talon St., just north of the market (and a second store in Laval). 
  • 2009  The initial investigation by the P.E.I. Liquor Commission had found 15 violations of the liquor act. 
  • 2014  This year, I knew a guy, who knew a guy that took orders and arranged the whole process. He ordered beer direct from the brewery and was thus able to obtain it for a reasonably cheap price. Both methods require an alcohol permit, which can be purchased at your local Nunavut Liquor Commission office. 
  • 2015  The NWT Liquor Commission operates seven stores. There are also some communities where beer can be purchased from offsale premises. 
  • 2016  Across the board increases in sales of local spirits, beer and wine fueled a spike in profits for the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission.