Founded in Northern British Columbia, Northern Lights Estate Winery has grown from a small, community driven operation into a nationally distributed producer of fruit wines. Reaching one million bottles represents years of innovation, resilience, and commitment to quality, achieved in one of Canada's most challenging and distinctive growing regions.
Dearborn brings extensive experience building and scaling high-performance organizations, with C-level executive leadership roles at Sun Microsystems, SAP SuccessFactors, Hewlett-Packard, Klaviyo, and most recently, the business consulting firm BTS, where she served as Chief People Strategy Officer.
Tariffs and retaliatory boycotts have devastated wine and spirits businesses on both sides of the border. One year later, the industry is still grappling with lost sales, strained relationships, and an uncertain path forward.
The 2026 festival features 113 wineries from 14 countries participating in 33 events, with a spotlight on France, as the festival welcomes 27 French wineries with wines representing nine storied regions. The Grand Tasting Room will feature all 27 wineries in a separate section, with a themed Vive la France wine bar and regional tasting stations showcasing wines from Beaujolais and Bordeaux.
Calgary, Alberta: A coalition of industry associations representing Canadian wineries, restaurants, import agents, and Alberta retail and hospitality businesses are calling on the Government of Alberta to repeal its unfair and damaging ad valorem tax on wine. Implemented in 2025 without industry consultation, Alberta's wine tax is driving up prices for Alberta consumers and small businesses, hurting Canadian wineries, and directly contradicting federal and provincial efforts to reduce interprovincial trade barriers.
The research was led by Danielle Gallina, who conceptualized and conducted the study while she was an undergraduate geography student at UBC Okanagan under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Cinnamon. The study examined 141 images drawn from the websites of 16 Okanagan wineries. Gallina says these choices are not accidental. "The Okanagan wine industry uses imagery to tie taste to place," she explains. "These visuals don't just sell wine--they help construct a shared idea of what the Okanagan is supposed to look and feel like."
Four Canadian provinces are selling off the American liquor they pulled from shelves in protest over President Trump's tariffs. Some bourbon drinkers are thrilled.
The Ontario Liberal Party is calling on the Ford government to sell off millions of dollars worth of U.S.-made liquor that could expire in storage and donate the proceeds to food banks, but the province says it is still exploring options for the products.
Only two Canadian provinces -- Alberta and Saskatchewan -- are still selling US booze. Manitoba and Nova Scotia said last week they will sell their remaining inventory and donate proceeds to local charities. Others, including Ontario, have not said what they plan to do.
"We want to remain aligned with the desires of all consumers and producers -- and our research and outreach activities at CCOVI will continue to have that focus -- but this new research is really exciting for a new segment of consumers who want environmentally responsible wines with lower sugar and alcohol content."
Aaron Campbell, Chief of Staff and VP, Corporate Affairs, Strategy, and Sustainability will assume the role of Interim President & CEO on February 1, 2026.
Kinew said it "probably makes sense for us to consider" Nova Scotia's approach, before he began praising the decision of the Canadian provinces to yank U.S. alcohol off their shelves.
With an estimated investment of $40-million, Stone Eagle represents a huge vote of confidence in continued growth of a luxury wine tourism in the region. After years of planning, the destination winery and restaurant opened earlier this month.