Get corporate event leads in Canada

Liquor licensing for events is provincial and permit-based, and the rule is not that alcohol at a company party is automatically fine. In Ontario the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario requires a Special Occasion Permit any time liquor is sold or served anywhere other than in a licensed establishment or a private place, and it distinguishes private events limited to invited guests, which cannot be advertised or run at a profit on liquor, from public events which can be. Permits are meant for occasional events rather than ongoing business activity. If your venue already holds its own liquor sales licence covering your event, you may need no permit of your own, which is why the first question to a venue is whether its licence covers what you are planning.

British Columbia works on the same principle with different machinery. The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch requires a Special Event Permit to sell or serve liquor at an event in a public place, advises applying several weeks ahead, and expects the relevant server certification, either Serving It Right or the Special Event Server course, to be in place. Other provinces have their own permits, their own timelines and their own server training, so verify the requirement in the province where the event is actually held.

Server training in licensed settings is a separate obligation worth knowing. In Ontario, everyone involved in the sale, service, sampling or delivery of liquor under a liquor licence, and security staff at licensed establishments, must hold valid AGCO board-approved training, which is currently Smart Serve and is valid for a fixed term before recertification. Food is regulated provincially as well: in Ontario the Food Premises Regulation under the Health Protection and Promotion Act sets minimum standards for places where food is prepared, handled, stored or served, and the province's local boards of health carry out inspections and investigate foodborne illness. Catering at a temporary event site is exactly the situation local public health units expect to hear about, so ask your caterer which health unit they have dealt with and what they are required to do.

Sources: AGCO: special occasion permits (Ontario) · AGCO: special occasion permits guide, section 1 · AGCO: responsible liquor sale, service and delivery training · British Columbia: apply for a liquor Special Event Permit · Ontario: food safety regulations and government roles (Food Premises Regulation and boards of health) · Ontario: safety guidelines for the live performance industry