Posted October 20, 2025 | Lightning Rock Winery, Summerland, BC
The ongoing BCGEU strike has slowed wine distribution across the province, leaving restaurants, liquor stores, and consumers struggling to access products. Small wineries like ours are ready to step in and help keep BC wine flowing, but the way the Olympic Average policy is currently being applied is making that harder, not easier.
The Olympic Average was designed to keep things fair when wineries are forced to use imported grapes to replace crops lost to extreme weather. In theory, it ensures revenue neutrality; the government doesn’t lose revenue, and wineries aren’t penalized for circumstances beyond their control.
But under the current interpretation, that balance has shifted.
Here’s a simple example:
If a winery replaces 100 cases lost to freeze with imported grapes, it should receive markup relief on those 100 cases — no more, no less.
However, when that same winery later sells its older 100% BC wines, those sales use up the available relief. The result? The winery ends up paying markup on BC-grown wines and doesn’t have enough relief left to cover the imported replacement wines.
That means the policy, originally meant to be fair and neutral, now increases government revenue compared to a normal year. The opposite of what it was intended to do.
We want to thank Minister Lana Popham and her team for their ongoing support and constructive engagement. Their leadership gives us confidence that, together with Treasury Board and the BCLDB, the Olympic Average can be restored to what it was always meant to be: fair, transparent, and neutral.
BC wineries don’t need bailouts, just balance.
We’re not asking for special treatment; we’re asking for common sense.
When policies work the way they were designed to, small family-run wineries like ours can continue doing what we do best, making BC wine, supporting local jobs, and keeping the province’s agricultural and tourism economy strong.
Let’s Make Common Sense the Policy Again.