Droughts in Canada are less severe than in balmier climes because the long, cold winters suppress evaporation from the soil. Yet with temperatures as much as 5 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) above normal this year, the dryness has been anything but mild, affecting industries from the oil sands to wine makers.

Lawyers for a man arrested for transporting too much booze from Quebec to New Brunswick argued in court Tuesday that the trade barriers restricting the flow of alcohol and other goods across provincial borders are unconstitutional.

As Ontarians travel their own country this summer, they could be breaking the law just by bringing home too much booze.

The growth of the industry has been immense, with the Ontario Craft Cider Association projecting sales of Ontario cider to reach $35 million by 2018, with employment in the sector increasing to 350 jobs. More importantly, he said, it would provide a shot in the arm to Ontario's "struggling apple industry" as cideries buy 10 per cent of all apples grown in the province.

Just a few years ago in Vancouver, the only way to get someone to legally serve you alcohol on a Sunday was for a priest to give you a bit of wine during communion.

The heat has been unprecedented in the city, and it's been no different in the countryside. If you look at the average timing of the growing season over the last couple decades, 2015 is currently (and exceptionally) three weeks ahead of schedule; at some wineries, harvests that usually start in September have already begun.

British Columbia wine producer Glenn Fawcett prepared himself for the worst as flames from the recent British Columbia Fire in Okanagan Valley surged across the nearby hillside

Monday, staffers at Church & State Wines recalled how they worked frantically to save business records and computer equipment as the blaze roared nearer late Friday. They used their cellphone cameras to record inventory of their barrels and bottled wine.

The 'Golden Mile' between Oliver and Osoyoos is home to dozens of wineries, and it was the epicenter of some of the tensest moments on Friday night. "It came right down here," said Bruce Fuller of Rustico Farm and Cellars, pointing to the thin roadway that separated his vines from the hillside.

The 100 homes near the Testalinden wildfire are still under an evacuation alert

Blaze comes within yards of vineyard rows in Golden Mile Bench

Wine vendors experience a 'brief adjustment phase' with new system, making some wines hard to find

The Pacific Circle Highway is closed and check points are in place south of Cowichan Lake

As we ease back into our work week after a long weekend to celebrate this great province, we reflect on how it has been a long, warm spring and summer across BC.

Manitoba Liberal leader Rana Bokhari says, if elected, a provincial Liberal provincial government would look at making "substantial changes" in the way alcohol is sold in Manitoba, including potentially privatizing Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.

The charges against the five board members of the Shores of Erie Wine Festival will be dropped next week, according to lawyer Patrick Ducharme. Meanwhile, a numbered company was charged under the Liquor License Act today, according to court documents.

"I really do think this will be one of the best vintages in last 100 years for the Okanagan valley," says Eric von Krosikg, the winemaker at Summerhill Pyramid Winery.

"I've never seen anything like this, and I've been making wine for 32 years," said Eric von Krosigk, a winemaker at Summerhill Pyramid Winery

The hot and dry conditions across B.C. have sped up the growing season and resulted in a bumper crop on Vancouver Island and the Okanagan region. But it also brings some unique challenges for the province's winemakers.

NB Liquor says craft-beer enthusiasts have bought 80,000 litres of beer in growlers since September