In January 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), funded by Health Canada, published Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health. This replaced the previous Low‑Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDGs) and emphasized that no amount of alcohol is entirely safe. This had a damaging effect on wine sales, but seemed to single alcohol consumption out above other and riskier recreational activities.

Canada’s wine industry supports over 45,000 Canadian jobs and supports approximately $11.6 billion in annual economic impact, while breweries contributed $2.9 billion and paid out $862 million in salaries and wages, and distilleries contributed $1.7 billion. Niagara is responsible for 90% of grape production in Ontario and is the largest wine producing region in Canada, making up 80% of Canada’s total grape and wine production. Falling wine sales have a knock-on effect on our entire regional economy.

Although beverage alcohol comes with health risks, it should be borne in mind that a lot of other activities do too. Motorcyclists, for example, are 22 times more likely to be killed in an accident per passenger-mile, and drinking 1-2 sugary drinks per day increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26%. Singling beverage alcohol out while failing to draw attention to other risky activities in diet and activity runs the risk of unfairly biasing the public against responsible alcohol consumption and stigmatizing it to the same degree as tobacco smoking, which is associated with a far higher rate of death, disease, and healthcare system burdens.

The GNCC supports the Canadian public being able to make healthy and informed choices about alcohol consumption, as with other activities, but feels that risks should be put in context rather than isolated and over-emphasized.

2023 (concluded)