Atlin, B.C. bar owners lament loss of legal retailer

There's a liquor problem in Atlin, B.C. nobody's licensed to sell it by the bottle anymore.

The town's only government-licensed liquor retailer closed on Sunday, meaning the nearest legal retailer is now 1,000 kilometresaway, in Fort Nelson, B.C.

It's a major concern for somelocal business owners whonow need to figure out how to keep their bars supplied. Whitehorse is just a two hour drive away, but it's not legal to buy alcohol in Yukon for resale in B.C.

"We are a forgotten corner," said Len Graff, who owns the Atlin Mountain Inn. His bar sells45 brands of beer and cider and he hopes to keep it that way, somehow.

The B.C. government saysAtlin'slicensed bars will have to order directly from its wholesale liquor centre, or a local business can apply to be a licensed retail store.

Sheldon Sands, director of the Atlin Recreation Centre, which has a bar, saidhe's been told a private licence would cost about $500,000.

Sands has also looked into whetherthe Yukon Liquor Corporation in Whitehorse, which buys its booze from B.C.,could act as an agent. Butit can't, withouta formal request from B.C. authorities. There has been no request.

"For sales for locals or tourists, it's either going to slowly deter tourists or people from Whitehorse from coming down, or everyone is just going to load up in Whitehorse," Sands said. He warnsa "bootlegging system" in Atlin may follow.

Individual British Columbians can purchase limited amounts of alcohol outside the province, as long as they are carrying it with them and it is for their own consumption.

B.C. liquor regulations allow up to onecase of wine, fourbottles of liquor, and 72 bottles or cans ofbeer per trip.