What's New

Bring Your Own Liquor

This bulletin is to advise Class A, Class B and Class C (Club and Adult Residence) licensees of amendments to Section 5.3 of the Licensee Handbook (LH).

Effective immediately, the Bring Your Own Wine endorsement is expanded to include all liquor products. Licensees may allow patrons to bring commercially manufactured, sealed bottles or containers of liquor onto the licensed premises.

A licensee may request a licence endorsement from AGLC to offer this optional service to its patrons.

More information is at aglc.ca.

Under 25 Identification Requirements (COVID-19)

In light of COVID‐19 health and safety concerns, AGLC is providing guidance on the requirement to request identification from a person who appears to be under the age of 25. This also applies to Class A and D liquor licensees offering pick-up and delivery services. More information is at aglc.ca.

AGLC is taking the COVID-19 coronavirus matter seriously. In order to continue service to Albertans we have adjusted our work environment.

As a result, responses to SMART Program inquires may be delayed and some customer service features may be unavailable.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Continue to visit aglc.ca/covid-19 for the latest updates from AGLC.

Class D Delivery Service Policy Update

This bulletin is to advise all Class D Delivery Service licensees of IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS to the Retail Liquor Store Handbook (RLSH) and the Liquor Licensee Handbook (LLH).

The amendments, effective immediately are located in Section 4.11 of the RLSH and Section 3.7 of the LLH, include the following:

• licensees are no longer required to record information when liquor deliveries are made to individuals who appear to be under 25 years old; and
• licensees are no longer required to complete Delivery Order Slips listing required information for each order and keep the slip for at least one year.

Please familiarize yourself with the amended policies and ensure all affected staff are notified of the new requirements.

The amended policies may be accessed on the AGLC website at aglc.ca.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact AGLC‘s Compliance Branch at inspections.mailbox@aglc.ca.

Effective November 4th, 2019, the requirements for primary identification have changed. Primary identification no longer requires a signature to be acceptable.

To be accepted as proof of age, primary identification must:

1. Have a photo;
2. Have a name;
3. Be Government issued;
4. Include date of birth;
5. Not be expired;
6. Have a unique identifier number; and
7. Be an original (not a copy).

The content in SMART Programs have been updated to reflect the new policy.

Please review the full policy in the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Handbooks, Terms and Conditions and Operating Guidelines at aglc.ca.

As of March 9, 2018, spas, salons and barbershops will be eligible to apply for a Class B liquor licence from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC).

The applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Offer approved esthetic services such as manicures, pedicures, facials, makeup applications, skin treatments or haircutting and styling;
• Meet all municipal licensing requirements including zoning, fire and health requirements;
• Offer a selection of hot or cold food items suitable for a light meal or snack;
• Staff serving liquor must have successfully completed ProServe Liquor Staff Training.

Section 1.6 of the Liquor Licensee Handbook provides policy that includes details of which staff require ProServe certification. Certification will be required within 30 days of the licence being issued, or 30 days after being hired. ProServe Liquor Staff Training can be completed online at proserve.aglc.ca

We encourage interested applicants to read all of the relevant policy and full licensing requirements at aglc.ca.

In October 2016, SMART Programs stopped issuing plastic certification cards as proof of certification. Plastic cards have been replaced with certification that has a QR code, which can be printed or saved to a mobile device/phone. For a limited time, certified liquor and gaming industry workers had the ability to order plastic certification cards.

Effective January 2018, plastic certification card orders are no longer issued.

Your certification card and congratulatory letter can be downloaded and printed or saved to a mobile device or phone as soon as the certification requirements have been completed. Replacement cards can be printed or saved from your SMART Programs account.

Plastic cards will continue to be accepted as proof of certification until the expiry date shown on the card.

Licensee staff must provide proof of certification at the request of an AGLC Inspector. Proof of certification includes:

• paper printed versions that have a QR code
• the Personal Information page printed from the worker's SMART Programs account
• a plastic card (that does not have a QR code)
• clear images of any of the above (i.e., image, photograph or screen shot) saved on the staff member's mobile device/phone.

AGLC's liquor and gaming policies are online at aglc.ca.

Elimination of Plastic SMART Certification Cards

Effective October 2016, the SMART Programs office will no longer issue plastic certification cards as proof of certification. Plastic cards will be replaced with certification that has a QR code, which can be printed or saved to a mobile device/phone.

The certification card and congratulatory letter can be downloaded and printed or saved to a mobile device as soon as workers complete the certification requirements. Users will be able to print replacement cards from their SMART Programs account, as needed, or save the certification card image to their mobile device/phone.

Plastic cards will continue to be accepted as proof of certification until the expiry date shown on the card.

Workers who do not have a mobile device or access to a printer can contact the SMART Programs office (1-877-436-6336) to have a paper card mailed to them at no charge.

Licensee staff must provide proof of certification at the request of an AGLC Inspector. Proof of certification includes:

• paper printed versions that have a QR code
• the Personal Information page printed from the staff member's SMART account
• a plastic card (that does not have a QR code)
• clear images of any of the above (i.e., image, photograph or screen shot) saved on the staff member's mobile device/phone.

The updated policy is online at aglc.ca.

This bulletin is to advise Class A, B and C licensees of important changes to Section 4.2 of the Liquor Licensee Handbook on patio hours and entertainment.

Effective August 8, 2016, the current restrictions on hours of service and consumption on patios (Section 4.2.8), as well as patio entertainment (Section 4.2.9) will be eliminated. Liquor service on patios will no longer be required to end by midnight followed by a one-hour consumption period.

The AGLC will no longer mandate noise concerns with regards to recorded music, DJ booths, and live entertainment. The authority to deal with noise issues falls under the municipality or county. Municipalities or counties that do not have business licenses or noise bylaws can make a request to the AGLC to impose conditions on a licence restricting patio hours where circumstances warrant.

Section 4.2 of the Liquor Licensee Handbook has been updated to reflect these changes and may be accessed on the AGLC website at aglc.ca.

Endorsements on liquor licenses stating liquor service on patios must end by midnight followed by a one-hour consumption period will be removed when the licence is re-issued upon expiry of the current licence.

If you have any questions about these extended hours, please contact the AGLC Compliance Branch at inspections.mailbox@aglc.ca.

This bulletin is to advise Class A, B and C licensees of important changes to Section 5.2 of the Liquor Licensee Handbook (Liquor Pricing), specifically related to ‘happy hours.’

Effective immediately, the 8 p.m. limit on ‘happy hours’ has been eliminated. All Class A, B and C licensees are now allowed to offer reduced drink prices at any time during operating hours, provided the prices comply with other policies aimed at promoting responsible liquor service and consumption, such as minimum drink prices.

This policy change helps to ensure the reduced-price drink specials better support the AGLC and the industry’s social responsibility and public safety obligations.

With this policy change, Subsections 5.2.5, 5.2.6, 5.2.7 and 5.2.12(b) of the Liquor Licensee Handbook were removed. All other policies in Section 5.2 remain unchanged.

Section 5.2 of the Liquor Licensee Handbook has been updated to reflect these changes and may be accessed on the AGLC website at aglc.ca.

Please ensure all affected staff are notified of the revised policy.

If you have any questions, please contact the AGLC Inspections Branch at inspections.mailbox@aglc.ca.

The AGLC has expanded the definition of acceptable identification. The policy now specifies the requirements needed on the identification rather than listing the acceptable forms of identification. Primary identification must be government issued and clearly show a name, photo, signature, date of birth and a unique identifier number. It also must be an original (not a copy) and not be expired.

The types of identification previously listed as acceptable forms of primary identification (e.g. driver's licences, passports) remain acceptable forms of primary identification as long as they are not expired.

Secondary identification must be government issued and clearly show a name, date of birth, and a unique identifier number. Baptismal certificates and similar documents that do not contain a unique identifier number and/or are not issued by the government are no longer acceptable as secondary identification.

The effective date of the amended policy is October 1, 2015. Please see the approved policy for details. Please ensure all affected staff are notified of the new requirements.

The Liquor Licensee Handbook, Retail Liquor Store Handbook and General Merchandise Liquor Store Handbook will be updated on the AGLC web site at aglc.ca to reflect these new policies.

Policy handbooks will no longer be available from the AGLC in print form. The AGLC website must be referenced for current policy information.

Any questions regarding this change may be directed to contact.policy@aglc.ca.

The ProServe Liquor Staff Training program is being updated today. Revised content, simplified language and a new audio option will help industry staff understand the importance of selling and serving liquor in ways that are socially responsible. Greater comprehension means improved compliance, resulting in a safer, more enjoyable experience for staff and customers in Alberta’s licensed premises: liquor stores, bars, restaurants, stadiums, or other venues.

If you should have any difficulties with ProServe while the update is underway, or if you have questions about the update, please contact us at: info@proserve.aglc.ca or 1-877-436-6336.

A letter summarizing changes to AGLC Policy in regard to ProServe Liquor Staff Training and ProTect Security Staff Training has been sent to liquor licensees. Some of the policy changes are effective June 9, 2014 and others are effective October 1, 2014. It is important that licensees and their staff are aware of the changes.

To view the letter, click here.

The ProServe and ProTect policies have been updated in the Liquor Licensee Handbook, and the ProServe policies have been updated in the Retail Liquor Store Handbook, the General Merchandise Liquor Store Handbook and the Liquor Agency Handbook. These handbooks can be viewed on the Liquor legislation and policies page of the AGLC website at: https://aglc.ca/liquor/liquor-legislation-and-policies.

Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and SMART Training staff have received many inquiries from stakeholders requesting clarification in regard to ProServe Liquor Staff Training and ProTect Security Staff Training policies. In response, ProServe and ProTect policies have been reorganized and reworded to ensure that policy is clear and user-friendly. Some additional changes have been also been made.

Listed here is a summary of the changes that licensees and their staff need to be aware of:

• Although it has always been a requirement, it is now clearly noted that all individuals required to be ProTect-certified are also required to be ProServe-certified.
• Policy now lists the staff positions at events operating under a Commercial Resale Special Event Licence that require ProServe. Drink ticket sellers have been added as they are often responsible for checking ID and may be able to assess intoxication levels at the point of sale. Also, security staff at a Commercial Resale SEL event are required to have ProTect certification. Individuals requiring ProServe or ProTect certification must be certified before the Commercial Resale Special Event.
• Acceptable proof of ProServe and ProTect certification has been identified.
• Clarification has been made that only those ProServe certifications completed on or after January 1, 2014 may be placed into conditional status when an employee is found to have violated policy.
• ProServe policy now identifies that the certification is not required for Class D Sacramental Wine Resale licensees and their staff.
• Clarification that AGLC does not require persons working at a Community Public Resale SEL to have ProServe certification or ProTect certification.

The ProServe and ProTect policies have been updated in the Liquor Licensee Handbook, and the ProServe policies have been updated in the Retail Liquor Store Handbook, the General Merchandise Liquor Store Handbook and the Liquor Agency Handbook. These handbooks can be viewed on the Liquor legislation and policies page of the AGLC website at: https://aglc.ca/liquor/liquor-legislation-and-policies.