New B.C. liquor laws bring happy hour to British Columbia

VICTORIA – Happy happy hour, British Columbia.

New liquor laws take effect today that allow bars and pubs to offer for the first time the popular time-limited drink specials.

Until now, B.C. was the only province in Canada that did not allow licensed bars and restaurants to change their prices during the course of a day.

Under the new rules, the minimum drink price is $3 for a single-ounce cocktail, a five-ounce glass of wine or a 12-ounce sleeve of beer.

Other changes to provincial liquor laws include dropping the requirement for customers to order food with drinks in a licensed restaurant and allowing hosts with a special occasion licence to serve homemade and U-brew beer, wine or cider.

Other, more controversial changes to provincial liquor laws — such as allowing liquor sales at grocery stores — will be rolled out at a later date.