The NSLC has gone through about 90% of its American alcohol stockpile
Nova Scotia's liquor retailer, the NSLC, has sold 90% of its American alcohol inventory following a trade-related ban on purchasing U.S. products. Proceeds from these sales are being directed toward community food security initiatives.
Why it matters
The situation illustrates the economic impact of trade disputes on regional retail and the repurposing of inventory for social welfare.
On Tuesday, Nova Scotia's Crown-run alcohol retailer and distributor released its first-quarter financial results. It said that just over $1.8 million of American booze was sold during this quarter, which ran from April 1 to June 28.
In a followup email to CBC News, the NSLC said that as of Aug. 17, it had about $1.5 million of American stock remaining. This means about 90 per cent of the U.S. alcohol inventory has been sold — and it has no plans to buy more.
The NSLC stopped buying American alcohol in January 2025 and pulled it from the shelves in March 2025 as part of Canada's response to the trade war with the U.S.
The retail value of the alcohol pulled from the shelves was $14,896,652, amounting to more than 600,000 units of product.
'That's a lot of bottles!': Uncorking the value of American booze pulled from NSLC shelves
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