Liquor store relocation lottery begins in B.C.

The next phase in the B.C. Government's overhaul of the province's liquor laws begins Friday. Liquor outlets wanting to relocate will be able to apply between Feb. 27 and March 27, with the queue determined by lottery.

• B.C. liquor laws to allow alcohol in grocery stores Spring 2015

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The lottery process will apply for stores that want to move to other neighbourhoods, cities, or into grocery stores.

The B.C. government is reducing its five kilometre rule between private liquor stores to one kilometre. That distance will also apply to B.C. liquor stores.

The new lotterywon't apply to VQA, or wine stores, which will also be exempt from the one kilometre rule. Stores now adjacent to grocery stores, that planto knock down a wall, will be able to apply to become "store-in-store" and won't be part of the lottery.