NOW PLAYING: Straight Up: The Issue of Alcohol in Ontario

Straight Up: The Issue of Alcohol in Ontario

By Peter Lenardon and A.J. Wykes – Homebrew Pictures

A documentary exploring the peculiar system of alcohol retail and distribution in Ontario

The beverage alcohol system in Ontario is unique in the world. A government monopoly and a few private companies enjoy preferential access to the province’s consumers.

Meanwhile, over 300 Ontario breweries, wineries, and distillers face a number of bureaucratic and structural barriers that effectively shut them out of the market in Ontario.

This film tries to explain the origins of the beverage alcohol system in Ontario, and what it means for producers and consumers in the province today.