Staff Report - LLP26-0002 Application for Change in Operating Hours (Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery)

Staff Report to Community Advisory Committee

DATE:

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

DEPARTMENT:

Planning

APPLICATION NO.:

LLP26-0002

SUBJECT:

Application for a change in operating hours for a lounge endorsement area under the manufacturer licence for Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery, located at #103 2323 Millstream Road.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Kelly Darwin of Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery located at unit 103- 2323 Millstream Road, has applied to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) to request a change to the hours of service outside the hours currently approved for the Lounge Area Endorsement for their Manufacturer Licence. As required by regulation, the municipality receives a referral from the provincial regulatory body and may either opt in to conduct the public notification process or opt out, in which case public notification and assessment of the proposal remain with the Province.

BACKGROUND:

Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery currently holds an active Manufacturer Licence with the Lounge Area Endorsement, which allows them to sell and serve liquor by the glass or bottle for on-site consumption, offering a “pub-style” experience to their patrons. Changing the hours of operation or otherwise changing the operation permitted under an existing Liquor Licence requires a review by LCRB. As part of the LCRB review process, the branch refers the licence application to the local municipality to ensure alignment with local bylaws and community interests. Upon receiving a referral, the local government has two options:

1. Accept the application for consideration, conduct a public notification process, and provide a recommendation (for or against) along with required input to the LCRB; or
2. Choose not to participate in the review of the application, in which case the LCRB conducts the public input process and decides independently of local government feedback.

When opting in and conducting the municipal notification process, there are recognized criteria and subject areas that the feedback must address. These criteria include the following:

• The impact of noise on nearby residents or businesses;
• Impacts on the community if the application is approved, including public safety concerns, traffic or parking implications, and potential nuisance behaviour;
• An assessment of compatibility with surrounding land uses and compliance with municipal bylaws;
• Public consultation results, including methods used to gather community input and feedback received; and
• The local government’s recommendation and supporting rationale.

COMMENTARY:

As noted above, the Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery has applied to the LCRB to amend their existing hours of operation for the Lounge Area Endorsement under their Manufacturer Licence. In accordance with the process described above, the referral for this application was sent to the City of Langford. The existing and proposed hours of operation are outlined in Tables 1 and 2 below:

Table 1: The existing hours of operation permitted under the Licence

Table 2: Proposed hours of operation

As shown in the tables above, the applicant is requesting to extend their hours of operation by moving their daily opening time earlier, while keeping the existing closing time unchanged.

It is important to note, that although the amended hours of operation, if approved, would permit operation from 11 am to 11 pm every day of the week, this does not reflect the hours the distillery lounge area intends to operate at this time. The purpose of the amendment is to provide the business with flexibility to adjust their operating hours seasonally or in response to demand, within the limits permitted by the LCRB for their licence type, without having to reapply each time.

The applicant explained that when they originally registered their hours of operation with the LCRB, they did not yet know the actual operating demand of the lounge space and did not realize that amending the hours would require a lengthy regulatory process. Currently, the lounge operates five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, and the applicant has indicated they intend to continue with this schedule throughout 2026.

The referral has been sent to Bylaw and Fire Department, and no concerns have been raised in regard to the proposed change.

Given that Bylaw and Fire Departments have expressed no concerns, and that only the opening hours will be affected, Committee may find it appropriate to recommend that Council opt out of the public notification process in this instance and provide no commentary to the LCRB with respect to the proposed change.

Alternatively, should Council wish to undertake public notification, they may choose to do so following a process similar to a Development Variance Permit, as has been done for past liquor licence applications where the City opted into the notification process. Notification using a Development Variance Permit style process would require mail-outs to all property owners and occupants within a 30-meter radius of the subject property.

STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:

The proposed application aligns with Section 3: Economic Development of Council’s Strategic Plan.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

Additional policing and enforcement costs are anticipated to be minimal, as the use is already operating and has not historically generated concerns.

If Council decides to opt-in to notifying, the cost of providing mail outs to neighbours within 30 m of the site will have to be paid by the municipality. As this application is referred to us from the LCRB, there is no application fee, and the City is not able to recover the costs for undertaking the notification process.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:

The authority to issue or amend liquor licence rests solely with the provincial regulatory authority. While the LCRB does refer applications to local governments for input, the City does not have the authority to approve or deny the licence. As such, there are no legal implications associated with this application.

OPTIONS:

Option 1

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend that Council direct staff to inform the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch that the City of Langford will opt out of the public notification for the application to change the hours of operation for an existing Liquor Licence for the Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery located at 103- 2323 Millstream Road.

OR Option 2

THAT the Community Advisory Committee recommend that Council direct staff to inform the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch that the City of Langford will conduct public notification and direct staff to notify all property owners and occupants within a 30-meter radius of the Ryes & Shine Craft Distillery located at 103-2323 Millstream Road.

SUBMITTED BY:

Anastasiya Mysak, Planner I