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VOLUME 124 ISSUE 21 $1.35
Golden
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■ NEWS:
Hit the Jackpot Federal Liberals find their local candidate ....................................2
■ ENTERTAINMENT:
Kicking Horse Culture reveals summer lineup ................................9
■ COMMUNITY:
Local gardener builds masterpiece in backyard .......................................10
■ SPORTS:
Lukas Pfisterer took 1st in the 4D placings for the PeeWee Polls at the Delbert Johnson Memorial Barrel Jackpot at the Golden Rodeo Grounds over the weekend. See more on page 16. Jessica Schwitek/Star Photo
Changes to B.C. Liquor Stores affecting private sellers Fast and Female in Golden a success ..................................19
Joel Tansey reporter@thegoldenstar.net
This spring, government liquor stores expanded their hours as part of a large shift in the province’s liquor laws. As of April 1, the B.C. Liquor Store is open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m Monday to Thursday, as well as being open on Sundays and holidays. It’s welcome news for the consumer but a
worrying development for private liquor store owners province-wide, including locally. Greg Swanson has held ownership in the private liquor sales business since 2000 when he opened his downtown Golden store. In his 15 years in the industry, Swanson says he has never had to deal with anything quite like the changes that have happened this spring. Last year he traded his ownership of the downtown store for a 50 per cent stake in the
Mad Trapper store (an ownership stake that he shares with his brother Rodney, with Tim and Jerry Pugera owning the remaining 50 per cent). Business boomed in the early part of this year, with sales increases averaging 21 per cent from 2014 to 2015, but those increases didn’t last after the government store expanded its hours. Continued on page 3