Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation


The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation is the Crown corporation which controls sales of alcoholic beverages and recreational cannabis in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the sole distributor for these products and runs all retail outlets selling alcohol and cannabis products. The exceptions are for four private retailers in urban HRM offering beer, wine, and spirits, and, in rural areas where there is not an NSLC location, 23 "agency" liquor stores operated by private retailers on NSLC's behalf.

History

On October 31, 1929, a plebiscite was held on Nova Scotia's prohibition of alcohol sales. Over 60 percent of voters authorized the repeal of the Nova Scotia Temperance Act. This result opened the door to sales of alcohol in a government monopoly of liquor outlets.
On May 1, 1930 the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission was created through legislation passed as the Liquor Control Act.
In 1946, the responsibility for licensing sites selling alcoholic beverages was transferred to the Tavern Licence Committee.
The liquor commission's current head office and distribution centre was constructed in the Bayers Lake Industrial Park in 1987.
In 1995, the Gaming Control Act made the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission part of the Alcohol and Gaming Authority.
In 2001, the organization was changed from a commission to a Crown corporation and renamed the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.
On October 17, 2018, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation became the sole authorized retailer of cannabis in Nova Scotia following the legalization of recreational cannabis.