July 23, 2013 - 4:21 PM
VICTORIA – Norm Letnick, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country, delivered a Private Member’s Statement on Monday on the value of B.C.’s wine industry and the importance of removing barriers to interprovincial trade.
He went on to stress the economic benefits to the province in tourism, job creation, and tax revenue, and spoke to the efforts of the B.C. Liberal Government to expand markets for the province’s wine producers.
“We just have to do the math to understand how important the wine industry is in B.C. It's important not only for people working in the wine industry, but it's also important to help pay for all those things that we take value in, and that's health care, education, transportation, our social services,” MLA Norm Letnick says. “We have to continue to support our wine industry. We have to continue to talk with our neighbours all across the country. We have to continue to support the work of our wine envoy, Mr. Herb LeRoy, in ensuring that we have that dialogue so that people in other parts of the country can enjoy B.C. wine.”
Quick Facts:
- B.C.’s wine industry creates over $2-billion in economic impact
- British Columbians enjoy more than 234 million glasses or 47 million bottles of Canadian wine every year
- B.C. is home to more than 200 wineries and 850 vineyards
- The wine industry in B.C. generates more than $298-million in federal and provincial tax revenue each year
- Wine industry-related tourism brings over 800,000 visitors to the province every year, generating over $476-million in economic impact
News from © iNFOnews, 2013