ReportU.S. excludes Canadian alcohol; B.C. wineries braceAired September 9, 2026 at 10:27 AM UTCWritten September 9, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The United States is about to turn away Canadian wine at the border.0:04That's the step Washington has taken.0:06A proclamation signed September 8th excludes a long list of Canadian alcohol, main0:11wine categories, packaged beer, spirits from US importation, effective 12.01 a.m.0:16Eastern on September 29th.0:18It converts the 50% tariff imposed in July into an outright exclusion.0:22Shipments still in transit at the deadline will be turned away.0:25For BC's wine industry, the direct export loss is small, about a million dollars a0:30year, but the trade group calls it a dangerous precedent, and the reason is uneven0:35exposure.0:36One member winery does 30% of its business in the U.S., so what does an industry0:40that exports so little actually lose?0:42The answer is in the scale of the individual producers.0:45The fight has run three phases.0:47Washington imposed a 50% tariff on Canadian wine, beer, and spirits in July,0:52suspended it after talks, then let it take effect on August 22.0:56On September 8th, Canada answered with its own counter tariffs, including an extra1:00Saskatchewan levy on US alcohol.1:02And the White House responded the same day by moving from a tax to a ban.1:05The exclusion applies to any shipment still in transit at the deadline.1:09The aggregate hit looks like a rounding error against a $3.75 billion industry, but1:14Lightning Rock Winery in Summerland had built a third of its business south of the1:18border.1:18That is the difference between a statistic and a crisis.1:27Gignard says the ban breaks trust and shuts down importer and restaurant1:31relationships built over years.1:33Relationships a producer cannot simply rebuild on a pivot.1:42Kubic said the plan died under the tariffs.1:44The shift to an outright ban closes the door entirely.1:48The province has already pulled American products from shelves.1:51The industry's answer is to take that space for itself and ask consumers to buy1:55homegrown.1:55The ban lands September 29th.1:58The domestic market BC Wine is being asked to rely on won't fully open until2:02February 2027.2:04More than a year of exposure.2:05That domestic opening is the longer-term answer.2:08Nine premiers signed an agreement on July 21 to let wineries sell directly to2:13consumers across provincial lines, but Quebec and Yukon didn't join.2:16And BC has committed to full implementation only in February 2027.2:21Winery to business direct sales are still blocked by fees and differing provincial2:25rules.2:25In Ottawa, the response has been about the broader pivot.2:28Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada has everything it needs to pivot and prosper,2:33but it will come at a cost.2:35Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc called the American measures unjustified and said he2:40had reached out to his U.S.2:41counterpart, but no new negotiations have been scheduled since talks collapsed in2:45late August, and there is no federal countermeasure specifically tied to the ban2:49beyond the tariffs and provincial restrictions already in force.2:52So the answer to the open question is this.2:55The small export number hides the fact that for some wineries, the U.S.2:58market is a lifeline, not a luxury.3:01The domestic market that is supposed to replace it won't be ready for over a year,3:05and no negotiation channel has reopened.3:07That is the predicament BC Wine faces as of September 29th.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗