Atlin, B.C. bar owners lament loss of legal retailer

There's a liquor problem in Atlin, B.C. — nobody's licensed to sell it by the bottle anymore.

The town's only government-licensed liquor retailer closed on Sunday, meaning the nearest legal retailer is now 1,000 kilometres away, in Fort Nelson, B.C.

It's a major concern for some local business owners who now need to figure out how to keep their bars supplied. Whitehorse is just a two hour drive away, but it's not legal to buy alcohol in Yukon for resale in B.C.

"We are a forgotten corner," said Len Graff, who owns the Atlin Mountain Inn. His bar sells 45 brands of beer and cider and he hopes to keep it that way, somehow.

The B.C. government says Atlin's licensed bars will have to order directly from its wholesale liquor centre, or a local business can apply to be a licensed retail store.

Sheldon Sands, director of the Atlin Recreation Centre, which has a bar, said he's been told a private licence would cost about $500,000. 

Sands has also looked into whether the Yukon Liquor Corporation in Whitehorse, which buys its booze from B.C., could act as an agent. But it can't, without a formal request from B.C. authorities. There has been no request.

"For sales for locals or tourists, it's either going to slowly deter tourists or people from Whitehorse from coming down, or everyone is just going to load up in Whitehorse," Sands said. He warns a "bootlegging system" in Atlin may follow. 

Individual British Columbians can purchase limited amounts of alcohol outside the province, as long as they are carrying it with them and it is for their own consumption.

B.C. liquor regulations allow up to one case of wine, four bottles of liquor, and 72 bottles or cans of beer per trip.