Alberta Trying More Booze to Ease the Pain of Oil Price Slump
- Canadian province to aid distilleries using local barley crops
- Government already providing subsidies for its craft breweries
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The energy-rich Canadian province of Alberta is looking to ease the financial pain of the worst oil and gas slump in decades -- with more booze.
In addition to its vast underground deposits of petroleum -- the third-largest in the world -- Alberta is the nation’s top supplier of barley used in beer and spirits. Last week, the government in Edmonton said it will encourage development of more craft distillers in the province under an assistance program similar to one already in place for local breweries.