More detail is emerging on that direct-to-consumer agreement among most of the provinces whereby people can buy alcohol from other provinces and have it shipped to their destination.

Bruce Keating, President and CEO of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, describes it as a new way for consumers to access a product.

Keating says it’s an evolving thing so it’s difficult this early in the game to know just how things will play out.

Quebec is the only province which is not opening up the inter-provincial barriers when it comes to the transfer of alcohol products to and from other provinces.

“For example, the NLC buys in very large volumes so our cost of getting it here per unit basis is obviously less than what it will be if people are buying smaller quantities from smaller suppliers from other provinces,” says Keating.

“But it is an opportunity for consumers to get a product that they otherwise may not have had access to.”

Keating also sees it as an opportunity for producers to promote their product here and for companies in Newfoundland and Labrador to enter out-of-province markets.

He suspects the agreement will be of greater interest to smaller producers than larger ones.