Toronto wants to be craft beer capital

Two Toronto city councillors have proposed plans to make the Canadian city the “craft beer capital of the world”.

Councillors Mike Layton and Gord Perks put a joint proposal to the city council in which they said that, “as Canada’s largest city, it is fitting that we should be the ones to nourish this growing sector..

“We can work to make Toronto the craft beer capital of the world.”

According to Metro News, the pair have pointed out that 47% of jobs in Ontario’s food and beverage sector are in Toronto and that craft beer is the fastest growing part of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) beer category.

They propose working with local craft breweries, craft beer bars and restaurants and creating craft beer “trails” as well as easing restrictions on creating new breweries to help nurture the category further.

Laudable as the drive to boost craft brewing in Ontario may be, to claim it can become the craft beer capital of Canada is steep.

Liquor laws in Canada are somewhat restrictive, most of all in Ontario where the LCBO monopoly is fiercely protective of its rights.

Furthermore, over in British Columbia Vancouver’s craft beer scene is growing exponentially, helped by the gradual loosening of former laws by the provincial government.

That is not even considering what cities south of the border such as Seattle, San Francisco and Denver may make of such a pronouncement.