Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation

The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE), which has a track record of strengthening Canada’s response to alcohol-related harm, is an ongoing project that systematically evaluates the degree of implementation of provincial, territorial, and federal alcohol policies under 11 evidence-based alcohol policy domains.
CAPE was initially developed and implemented in 2013 (CAPE 1.0), and then updated, refined, and expanded in 2019 (CAPE 2.0). The next round (CAPE 3.0) will be launched in 2022 alongside a national alcohol policy community of practice.
Join the CAPE Community of Practice.
Give your input on the upcoming CAPE 3.0!
Rejoindre la Communauté de Practique de l'ÉPCA.
Partagez vos commentaires sur le projet de l’ÉPCA 3.0!
Background
The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation Community of Practice (CAPE CoP) was developed as an accompaniment to the broader CAPE project, which is an ongoing assessment of alcohol policy across Canadian provinces, territories, and the federal government.
The CAPE CoP aims to establish a national alcohol policy community which builds and sustains long-term connections, collaborations, and professional development between diverse stakeholders, and increases both awareness and knowledge of emerging alcohol-related research and policies through a range of different mobilization activities and events.
The CAPE CoP is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connection Grant, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program.
The CAPE CoP is comprised primarily of a national email listserv, policy forums, roundtable discussions, research presentations, and capacity-building sessions related to alcohol policy.
How To Join
Fill out our member registration form and offer some initial thoughts and ideas on what the CoP activities and events should include. You will receive a listserv notification and welcome email once your membership is confirmed. There are no membership fees to join. If you have questions, please email capecopcoord@uvic.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there membership fees to join the CAPE community of practice?
The CAPE CoP is free! There are no fees to join as a member or for any of the events. In fact, for anyone who identifies as an individual with lived/living experience or as Indigenous we have honoraria available for their time.
What is involved in being a member of the CAPE community of practice?
The CAPE CoP allows you to be as involved as you’d like. You can pick and choose what events you want to attend and whether or not you want to received emails from the CAPE CoP listserv. The degree to which you choose to participate in the CAPE CoP is up to you. Please feel free to attend and/or participate in any event you feel would be beneficial to the work that you do.
How do I find out what’s happening with the CAPE community of practice?
To receive information on future CAPE CoP events you need to be a CAPE CoP member. While CoP members will get glimpses of the CAPE project as we progress, the CAPE CoP is meant to serve a greater purpose of bringing together individuals interested in alcohol policy in Canada for discussion and collaboration. When it comes time to present the findings of the CAPE 3.0 project, we will be disseminating the invites to the presentations more broadly beyond the CAPE CoP.
If I join the community of practice, do I automatically have to validate data for the larger CAPE project?
CAPE CoP members are under no obligation to provide data or validate data for the CAPE team. The CAPE data validation contacts are recruited separately through our contacts in government departments and would be independent of your involvement in the CAPE CoP. If applicable, the separate role of data validator is also not very time consuming. It sometimes involves assisting us track down the correct policy data, but our team is mostly familiar with this now that we have done CAPE twice already. The main role of the data validators is to look at our final data set to make sure we didn’t miss anything and to confirm the information is correct. We only send the validators data that is relevant to their role in government.
Y a-t-il des frais d'adhésion pour rejoinder la CdP de l'ÉPCA?
La CdP de l'ÉPCA est gratuite! Il n'y a pas de frais pour devenir membre ou pour participer aux événements. De plus, les personnes ayant une expérience vécue ou s'identifiant comme autochtone ont droit à un honoraire.
Qu'implique le fait d'être membre de la CdP de l'ÉPCA?
La CdP de l'ÉPCA vous permet de vous impliquer en fonction de votre intérêt et de votre capacité. Vous pouvez choisir les événements auxquels vous souhaitez assister et décider de recevoir ou non les courriels de la liste de diffusion de la CdP de l'ÉPCA. C'est à vous de décider dans quelle mesure vous désirez vous impliquer au sein de la CdP de l’ÉPCA. N'hésitez pas à assister et/ou à participer à tout événement susceptible de profiter à votre travail.
Comment puis-je savoir ce qui se passe avec la CdP de l'ÉPCA?
Vous devez être membre de la CdP de l'ÉPCA afin de recevoir des informations sur les futurs événements du groupe. Les membres de la CdP auront un aperçu du projet de l'ÉPCA tout au long de l'évolution de ce dernier, mais l'objectif principale de la CdP de l'ÉPCA est de rassembler les personnes intéressées par les politiques sur l'alcool au Canada à des fins de discussion et de collaboration. Lorsque le moment sera venu de présenter les résultats du projet de l'ÉPCA 3.0, les invitations seront transmises plus largement au-delà de la CdP de l'ÉPCA.
Si je rejoins la communauté de pratique, dois-je automatiquement valider les données pour le projet de l'ÉPCA plus large?
Les membres de la CdP de l'ÉPCA n'ont pas l'obligation de fournir des données ou de valider des données pour l'équipe de l’ÉPCA. Les personnes chargées de la validation des données de l'ÉPCA sont recrutées séparément par l'intermédiaire de nos contacts au sein des ministères et sont indépendantes de votre participation à la CdP de l'ÉPCA. Si vous êtes appelé·e à valider les données de l’ÉPCA, ce rôle n’est pas très exigeant. Il s'agit parfois de nous aider à trouver les données correctes sur les politiques, mais notre équipe est habituée à ce genre de tâches après avoir déjà effectué l’ÉPCA deux fois. Le rôle principal des validateur·rice·s de données est d'examiner notre ensemble de données final pour s'assurer que nous n'avons rien oublié et pour confirmer que les informations sont correctes. Les seules données envoyées aux validateur·rice·s sont celles qui sont pertinentes pour leur rôle au sein du gouvernement.
Event Listings
June 8, 2022 - Overt and Covert Alcohol Industry Activities: Navigating the Canadian Landscape
*Please note this is a members-only event. If you are not yet a member of the CAPE Community of Practice, please sign up here: (French) (English)
Join us for an exploration of how health promotion intersects with private alcohol interests in Canada. Alcohol companies employ a range of strategies that contribute to the normalization of alcohol including actively promoting their product through marketing as well as undermining evidence-based alcohol health information through industry-controlled Social Aspects Public Relations Organizations (SAPROs). Presenters from the UK and Canada will provide an overview of how SAPROs operate and highlight some specific examples of alcohol marketing and SAPRO activities in the Canadian context.
Event Recordings, Slide Decks, and Event Summaries
January 19, 2022: Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) Community of Practice Launch Event
Event Description: This public launch event will feature an overview of CAPE research, an update on alcohol policy changes in Canada, and a look ahead at CAPE 3.0. We will also share our vision for the CAPE Community of Practice (CoP) and hear what the stakeholders (you!) would like to see happen in this space.
March 16, 2022: Alcohol Warning Labels: Informing Canadian Consumers
Event Description: Hear from experts in Canada and beyond about current initiatives and lessons learned regarding implementing alcohol warning labels, legal considerations for Canadian jurisdictions, and discussion of potential next steps.
March 30, 2022: Alcohol Warning Labels Roundtable: Exploring the Legal Issues
Event Description: This roundtable event is a follow-up to our March 16th webinar on alcohol warning labels. The session will provide a more in-depth exploration of the legal issues and considerations around implementation of warning labels in Canadian jurisdictions.
Roundtables are not recorded. High level discussion summaries are available upon request from capecopcoord@uvic.ca
April 13, 2022: Alcohol Warning Labels Roundtable: Advocacy Approaches (Australian Perspective)
Event Description: This roundtable event is a follow-up to our March 16th webinar on alcohol warning labels. Team members from the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education (FARE) in Australia will provide an overview of the process of developing pregnancy warning labels in Australia and the advocacy approaches used to support their implementation in 2020.
Roundtables are not recorded. High level discussion summaries are available upon request from capecopcoord@uvic.ca
May 4, 2022: Alcohol Warning Labels Roundtable: Advocacy Approaches (Canadian Perspective)
Event Description: This roundtable event is the final follow-up to our March 16th webinar on alcohol warning labels. In this session we will explore advocacy approaches to support the implementation of alcohol warning labels in Canada.
Roundtables are not recorded. High level discussion summaries are available upon request from capecopcoord@uvic.ca
Terms of Reference
Read the Terms of Reference for the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation Community of Practice (CAPE CoP)
Lire les termes de référence de la Communauté de pratique de l'évaluation des politiques canadiennes sur l’alcool (CdP de l’ÉPCA)
Contact Us
- For any questions, comments, event, or activity suggestions related to the CAPE CoP, please email us at capecopcoord@uvic.ca.
- If you would like to offer feedback and suggestions on the CAPE project to help shape CAPE 3.0 in the coming year, please fill out our stakeholder survey.
- Join the CAPE CoP here.
Other Alcohol Policy Evaluations
- Light and heavy drinking in jurisdictions with different alcohol policy environments (Foster et al., 2019, International Journal of Drug Policy)
- Rapid evidence review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alcohol control policies: an English perspective. Burton, R. et al. (2017)
- A Comparison of Measures and Policies to Prevent Alcohol Problems among Youth across Canadian Provinces (Simpson et al., 2014, Canadian Public Policy)
- Efficacy and the Strength of Evidence of U.S. Alcohol Control Policies. Nelson, T. et al. (2013)
- Alcohol: No ordinary commodity – research and public policy – Revised edition. Babor, T. et al. (2010)
Alcohol and Public Health Reports and Guidance
- The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Health: Myths and Measures, World Heart Federation (2022)
- Alcohol, Health and Well Being YouTube video, World Health Organization (2020)
- Harm to others from drinking: Patterns in Nine Societies, World Health Organization (2019)
- Status report on alcohol consumption, harm and policy responses in 30 European countries, World Health Organization (2019)
- Global Status Report on Alcohol and health, World Health Organization (2018)
- Alcohol Harm in Canada: Examining Hospitalizations Entirely Caused by Alcohol and Strategies to Reduce Harm, Canadian Institute for Health Information (2017)
- Alcohol and inequities: Guidance for addressing inequities in alcohol-related harm, World Health Organization (2014)
- Health Impact Assessment, World Health Organization
Alcohol Consumption and Harm Data Tools
- The International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies (InterMAHP)
- Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH)
- Alcohol consumption interactive data visualization tool (CISUR) BC only
- Alcohol and other drug interactive data visualization tool (CISUR) BC only
- Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (WHO)
Alcohol and COVID-19
- COVID-19 alcohol and cannabis retail regulation, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA)
Alcohol and Cancer
- Alcohol policies and Cancer, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization
- Raising awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer, World Health Organization
- Alcohol can cause cancer, so why don’t most Canadians know that?, CBC The National
- American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention (Rock et al., 2020, CA)
- Alcohol and Cancer: A Statement of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (LoConte et al., 2017, Journal of Clinical Oncology)
- Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States (Nelson et al., 2013, Am J Public Health)
- Causes of cancer in the world: comparative risk assessment of nine behavioural and environmental risk factors (Danaei et al., 2005, Lancet)
Alcohol Warning Labels
-
Alcohol, Health Warnings in Yukon and Canadian Law, Presentation given by Professor Robert Solomon, 2019
-
Yukon/Northern Territories Alcohol Labels Study, Project Page
- Enhanced Alcohol Container Labels: A Systematic Review, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 2022
-
Mandated alcohol warning labels in Australia and New Zealand, Food Standards ANZ, 2020
-
At-a-glance – The alcohol deficit: Canadian government revenue and societal costs from alcohol (Sherk, A., 2020, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada)
- Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol Containers: A Consumer’s Right to Know, a Government’s Responsibility to Inform, and an Industry’s Power to Thwart (Stockwell et al., 2020, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs)
Alcohol Industry
Liquor Acts and Regulations
Federal
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
Régie des alcools des courses et des jeux, Liquor Regulations
la Loi sur la société des alcools du Québec (Act respecting the Société des alcools du Québec)
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador
Yukon
Nunavut
Northwest Territories
Alcohol Strategy Documents
Federal
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
Plan d’Action Interministériel en Dependence 2018-2028 Prevenar, Require et Traitor les consequences associates à la consummation de substances psychoactive, à la pratique des jeux de hazard et argent et à utilization internet (2018).
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador
Yukon
Nunavut
Northwest Territories
Municipal Alcohol Policies
- At a glance: the eight steps to developing a healthy public policy, Public Health Ontario (2013)
- Building Municipal Alcohol Policy, Alberta Health Services
- Not Just a Walk in the Park: Unsupervised Alcohol Consumption on Municipal Properties in BC [Policy brief], Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (2021)
- Not Just a Walk in the Park: Unsupervised Alcohol Consumption on Municipal Properties in BC [Full report], Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (2021)
Ressources disponibles en français
- Un prix minimum par verre d’alcool standard pour le Québec : estimation de l’impact sur les décès et les hospitalisations, Institut national de santé publique du Québec
- La consommation d’alcool : qu’en pense la population du Québec?, Institut national de santé publique du Québec
- L'efficacité des mises en garde sur les contenants de boissons sucrées en promotion de la saine alimentation, Institut national de santé publique du Québec
- Plan d’Action Interministériel en Dependence 2018-2028 Prevenar, Require et Traitor les consequences associates à la consummation de substances psychoactive, à la pratique des jeux de hazard et argent et à utilization internet (2018).
- Mise à jour de l’ÉPCA 3.0 et événement de lancement de la communauté de pratique, 19 Janvier 2022 (diapositives de presentation), Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
Project Overview
About the Provincial and Territorial CAPE Project
The provincial and territorial CAPE Project is a rigorous assessment of the extent to which evidence-based alcohol policies have been implemented in all 13 jurisdictions in Canada. The study design is based on a similar model conceived of and implemented by MADD Canada assessing the progress of policy measures to reduce impaired driving (see 2015 Provincial Impaired Driving Report). The types of alcohol policies being evaluated at the provincial and territorial level include those with direct evidence of direct effectiveness as a means of reducing population level consumption of alcohol and/or related harms such as: pricing and taxation; physical availability of alcohol; impaired driving countermeasures; marketing and advertising controls; minimum legal drinking age laws; screening, brief intervention and referral programs; and liquor law enforcement. We also assess evidence-based strategies that more indirectly facilitate implementation of the direct policies mentioned above. These strategies include: control systems for the distribution and sale of alcohol; provincial and territorial alcohol strategies; monitoring and reporting of alcohol related harms; and health and safety messaging.
About the Federal CAPE Project
About the 2013 Provincial CAPE Project
Funding bodies
- 2022-23 Provincial, Territorial, and Federal CAPE Project (CAPE 3.0): Health Canada, Substance Use and Addictions Program
- 2022 Provincial, Territorial, and Federal CAPE Project (CAPE 3.0): Public Health Agency of Canada
- 2021 CAPE Community of Practice (CAPE 3.0): Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connection Grant
- 2019 Provincial and Territorial CAPE Project (CAPE 2.0): Health Canada, Substance Use and Addictions Program
- 2019 Federal CAPE Project (CAPE 2.0): Public Health Agency of Canada
- 2013 Provincial CAPE Project (CAPE 1.0): Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CAPE 2.0 Provincial and Territorial Reports and Summaries (2019)
CAPE 2.0 Federal Report (2019)
CAPE 1.0 Provincial Reports (2013)
CAPE Presentations and Webinars
Infographics and Fact Sheets
Academic Journal Articles
CAPE 2.0
- Strategies for engaging policy stakeholders to translate research knowledge into practice more effectively: Lessons learned from the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project (Vallance et al., 2021, Drug and Alcohol Review)
- The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project: Findings from a review of provincial and territorial alcohol policies (Vallance et al., 2021, Drug and Alcohol Review)
- Alcohol retail privatisation in Canadian provinces between 2012 and 2017. Is decision making oriented to harm reduction? (Giesbrecht et al., 2020, Drug and Alcohol Review)
CAPE 1.0
- Comparing Alcohol Marketing and Alcohol Warning Message Policies Across Canada (Wettlaufer et al., 2017, Substance Use and Misuse)
- Strategies to reduce alcohol-related harms and costs in Canada: A comparison of provincial policies (Giesbrecht et al., 2016, The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research)
- Pricing of alcohol in Canada: A comparison of provincial policies and harm-reduction opportunities (Giesbrecht et al., 2016, Drug and Alcohol Review)
Media Releases
CAPE 2.0
- The good, the bad and the ugly: New report cards on policies to reduce alcohol harms in Canada's 10 provinces and 3 territories(CISUR announcement, April 2019)
- Ontario Alcohol Policy Report Card(CAMH media release, April 2019)
- Canadian alcohol policy gets failing grade(UVic media release, February 2019)
- Sobriety Test: CAMH Report Rates Provinces on Alcohol Policies(CAMH media release, March 2013)
Media Coverage
CAPE 2.0
- Study finds B.C.’s regulation of alcohol is second-best in the country but still far from great (Black Press, April 2019)
- Daphne Bramham: Alcohol, not opioids, is Canada's biggest drug problem (Vancouver Sun/PostMedia, APril 2019)
- BC alcohol policy report card (Tim Stockwell on CBC Vancouver's Early Edition; segment starts at 2:41:45)
- Politiques sur l’alcool: la C.-B. et le Yukon sont derniers de classe (Radio-Canada, April 2019)
- Early Edition: Tim Stockwell on BC's CAPE report card (starts at 2:41:45) (CBC Vancouver, April 2019)
- Atlantic provinces failing to address alcohol problems: national study (Truro News, April 2019)
- Ontario's proposed alcohol policies will increase harms, researchers say (CBC News/Canadian Press, April 2019)
- B.C. gets near failing grade on implementing policies to reduce impacts of alcohol use, study says (CHEK News, April 2019)
- B.C. is second-best – though still bad – at regulating alcohol: study (CTV News, April 2019)
- Canadian governments must step up efforts to reduce alcohol-related harms, health studies find (Globe and Mail, Feb 2019)
- Alcohol policies fizzle for Canadian governments as harms overflow: reports (National Post, Feb 2019)
- Canadian alcohol policy gets failing grade from UVic researchers (Vic News, Feb 2019)
- Abundance of booze costing B.C. money and lives, researcher says (Vancouver Star, Feb 2019)
- Do more to combat alcohol’s harm: reports (Times Colonist, Feb 2019)
- Mixed results for Saskatchewan in Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation Reports (Prince Albert Daily Herald, Feb 2019)
- Territories get failing grades on curbing alcohol harms: study (CBC North, Feb 2019)
CAPE 1.0
- Quebec's legal drinking age isn't going to change, Legault says (CBC News, December 2018)
- Mandatory drunk driving tests hit the road before the holidays (CTV News, December 2018)
- Hamilton addictions expert concerned about fallout from expanded beer and wine sales (HamiltonNews.com, July 2018)
- Costs of liquor outweigh its revenues in B.C., study says (Times Colonist, August 2013)
- Alcohol one of Canada’s top health threats: Study (Toronto Star, March 2013)
Researchers
- Mark Asbridge (Co-Investigator | Dalhousie University, NS )
- Dr. Russell Callaghan (Co-Investigator |Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC; University of Northern British Columbia, BC)
- Dr. Marilou Gagnon (Co-Investigator | Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Norman Giesbrecht (Co-Principal Investigator | Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)
- Robert Mann (Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON )
- Dr. Tim Naimi (Co-Principal Investigator | Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Jacob Shelley (Co-Investigator | Health Ethics, Law & Policy (HELP) Lab, Western University, ON)
- Dr. Adam Sherk (Co-Investigator | Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Kevin Shield (Co-Investigator | Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)
- Robert Solomon (Co-Investigator | Western University, ON)
- Dr. Tim Stockwell (Co-Principal Investigator | Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Dr. Kara Thompson (Co-Investigator | St. Francis Xavier University, NS)
- Fariha Alam (Research Associate, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Amanda Farrell-Low (Communications Officer, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Kate Vallance ( Research Associate, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, Victoria, BC)
- Nicole Vishnevsky (Research Assistant, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria, BC)
- Ashley Wettlaufer (Methods Specialist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)