The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced it has temporarily removed the requirement for cideries to have five acres of planted fruit in order to operate a retail store.
According to a media release from Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark, the removal of the ‘Five-Acre Rule’ is a huge boost to Flying Canoe Hard Cider in Spencerville, which had previously been unable to sell directly to customers.
“When Flying Canoe owner Pete Rainville brought this issue forward and told me that this red tape was preventing him from growing his business by selling directly to customers eager to purchase his cider, I immediately started working on getting the regulation changed.”
Clark thanks Finance Minister Rod Phillips and Attorney General Doug Downey, for their support to make this happen quickly.
Rainville says rules can be modernized and the system works.
“What I thought was an insurmountable task against unbelievable odds has been changed by an open-minded Ontario government, but not without the tremendous support of our community and especially MPP Steve Clark and other local elected officials.”
Clark says that he is proud that our government is acting decisively to remove these unnecessary barriers.
In a Facebook post, the cidery says they will be applying for a retail store authorization to be able to fulfill hundreds of online and retail orders they have been holding onto for over a month and a half.