Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation
Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) and Community of Practice

Join the CAPE Community of Practice
Inscrivez-vous à la CdP de l’ÉPCA
The Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) is an ongoing research project that provides rigorous assessments of how well provincial, territorial and the federal government in Canada is implementing policies proven to reduce harm from alcohol use.
Policy domains encompass areas such as pricing and taxation, physical availability, alcohol control system, impaired driving countermeasures, marketing and advertising controls, minimum legal age, health and safety messaging, liquor law enforcement, screening, treatment and harm reduction, alcohol strategy, monitoring and reporting.
CAPE has a track record of strengthening Canada’s response to alcohol-related harm. The project was initially developed and implemented in 2013 (CAPE 1.0), and then updated, refined, and expanded in 2019 (CAPE 2.0). The third round (CAPE 3.0) launched in 2022 along with the national alcohol policy community of practice. Results for CAPE 3.0 will be released in Spring 2023.
The CAPE CoP offers a national email listserv, research presentations, roundtable discussions, policy forums, and cross-sectoral and -jurisdictional networking sessions related to alcohol policy.
Members receive regular communications in relation to CoP events, resources and updates about the CAPE 3.0 project. There is no cost associated with joining and members are welcome to participate in whatever capacity works best for them.
To sign up, please fill out this short membership form. Pour vous inscrire, veuillez remplir ce court formulaire.
The CAPE CoP has more than 300 members, from all 13 provinces and territories plus Canada-wide and international jurisdictions. Members include those working in public health/health services, government alcohol regulation/distribution/retail, public safety, cancer-related and other NGOs, advocacy groups, people with lived and living experience, peer organizations, students, research organizations and more.
If you have any questions about the CAPE CoP, please contact the coordinators directly at capecopcoord@uvic.ca
Please note: materials produced by CAPE are available in both English and French. Simultaneous interpretation in either French or English is provided for webinars/presentations. Email correspondence is primarily in English.
Upcoming Events
Simultaneous French interpretation is available for events.
Please note:events are members-only. You must be a CAPE Community of Practice member to attend.
Current Activities
Last updated March 2023
Alcohol labelling
There has been growing interest in alcohol labelling initiatives in Canada and elsewhere. In Canada, much of this interest has stemmed from the recent update to low risk drinking guidelines now known as the Guidance on Alcohol and Health which calls for mandatory labelling of all alcoholic beverages. Some CAPE CoP members have engaged in writing letters in support of various initiatives (see below). These letters represent the views of the individuals who have sent them.
Event Recordings, Slides, and Summaries
Other CoP Documents
The reports and resources in this section are produced by CAPE.
For a compilation of links to other alcohol policy resources by topic (e.g. legislation, labelling, pricing etc), please go to the Useful Links section of this webpage.
CAPE 3.0
CAPE 2.0
Federal
Provincial/Territorial
- Executive summary | Sommaire
- Full report | Rapport complet
- Policy Recommendations and Best Practice Leaders
- Alcohol Policy Scoring Rubric
- Alcohol Policy Framework | Cadre stratégique sur l’alcool
Individual Provinces/Territories
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick | Nouveau-Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec | Québec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Infographics
Presentations
- Presentation - Strategies to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harms and Costs in Canada: A Review of Provincial, Territorial, and Federal Policies (Feb 2019) | Presentation - Stratégies pour réduire les méfaits et les coûts liés à l’alcool au Canada : Une revue des politiques fédérales, provinciales et territoriales (Fev 2019)
Media Releases and Coverage
- 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)
- List of media coverage (with embedded links)
Journal Articles/Academic Publications
- 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
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec | Québec
- Saskatchewan
Media Releases and Coverage
- Sobriety Test: CAMH Report Rates Provinces on Alcohol Policies (CAMH media release, March 2013)
- List of media coverage (with embedded links)
Journal Articles/Academic Publications
- 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)
Webinar Recordings, Slides, and Summaries
These webinars and events are offered as part of the CAPE Community of Practice.
To sign up, please fill out this short membership form. Pour vous inscrire, veuillez remplir ce court formulaire.
If you have any questions about the CAPE CoP, please contact the coordinators directly at capecopcoord@uvic.ca
Guidance and Fact Sheets
Guidance: Evidence-based Recommendations for Labelling of Alcohol Products in Canada (2022) |
Recommandations fondées sur des données probantes pour l’étiquetage des produits d’alcool au Canada (2022)
The potential of alcohol labelling to promote public health and safety in Canada: A Rapid Review (2019)
Les ressources et les rapports trouvés dans cette section sont produits par l’ÉPCA.
l’ÉPCA 3.0 (2023)
l’ÉPCA 3.0 est actuellement en cours et les résultats du projet seront publiés au printemps 2023.
l’ÉPCA 2.0 (2019)
Rapport complet (Fédéral)
Sommaire (Province/Territoire)
Rapport complet (Province/Territoire)
Cadre stratégique sur l’alcool (Province/Territoire)
l’ÉPCA 1.0 (2013)
Sommaire (Province/Territoire)
Rapport complet (Province/Territoire)
Conseils et fiches d'information
Recommandations fondées sur des données probantes pour l’étiquetage des produits d’alcool au Canada (2022)
CdP de l’ÉPCA - les enregistrement de l’événements, diapositives de presentation et résumés d’événements
19 janvier 2022
16 mars 2022
8 juin 2022
28 septembre 2022
30 novembre 2022
Les tables rondes ne sont pas enregistrées. Des sommaires de discussion de haut niveau sont accessibles sur demande à l'adresse suivante: capecopcoord@uvic.ca
CdP de l’ÉPCA - autres documents
Évaluation de mi-parcours de la CdP
Lignes directrices de liste de diffusion
Autres documents - ressources en matière d’alcool
Vous trouverez ici une compilation par thème (par exemple, législation, étiquetage, etc.) de liens sur des ressources en matière d’alcool (en anglais seulement). Vous pourrez également consulter une archive de tous les articles de presse affichés sur le serveur de liste de diffusion de la communauté de pratique de l’ÉPCA (dont certains sont en français). Veuillez noter que ce document est mis à votre disposition à des fins d’information seulement. Il ne s’agit pas d’un examen complet de la littérature. Si vous avez des questions ou aimeriez suggérer un ajout ou une correction à ce document, veuillez envoyer un courriel à capecopcoord@uvic.ca
A compilation of links to alcohol policy resources by topic (e.g. legislation, labelling etc) is available below. It also contains an archive of all media articles shared to the CAPE Community of Practice listserv.
Alcohol Policy Resources & Media Archive
Please note, this document is provided for informational purposes only. It is not a comprehensive review of the literature. If you have questions or would like to suggest an addition or correction to this document, email capecopcoord@uvic.ca
To access CAPE produced reports and publications, please go to the Reports and Resources section of this webpage.
Project evolution
The CAPE project began in 2013 (CAPE 1.0) with an initial systematic and comparative review of evidence-based alcohol policies and programs across all Canadian provinces (territories were not included).
The second iteration of the project (CAPE 2.0) conducted in 2019, performed a rigorous assessment of the extent to which evidence-based alcohol policies were implemented in all 13 Canadian provinces and territories as well as at the Federal level.
The third iteration (CAPE 3.0) being conducted in 2022, once again performs a rigorous assessment of the extent to which evidence-based alcohol policies have been implemented in all 13 Canadian provinces and territories as well as at the Federal level.
CAPE 3.0 is currently underway with project results to be released in early 2023.
Funding
- Health Canada, Substance Use and Addictions Program (CAPE 3.0 & 2.0)
- Public Health Agency of Canada (CAPE 3.0 & 2.0)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Connection Grant (CAPE CoP)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CAPE 1.0)
Researchers
- Dr. Tim Naimi (Co-Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Tim Stockwell (Co-Principal Investigator)
- Norman Giesbrecht (Co-Principal Investigator | Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)
- Dr. Marilou Gagnon (Co-Investigator)
- Dr. Russell Callaghan (Co-Investigator)
- Dr. Adam Sherk (Co-Investigator)
- Mark Asbridge (Co-Investigator | Dalhousie University, NS)
- Jacob Shelley (Co-Investigator | Health Ethics, Law & Policy (HELP) Lab, Western University, ON)
- Kevin Shield (Co-Investigator | Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)
- Robert Solomon (Co-Investigator | Western University, ON)
- Dr. Kara Thompson (Co-Investigator | St. Francis Xavier University, NS)
- Amanda Farrell-Low (Communications Officer)
- Ashley Wettlaufer (Methods Specialist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, ON)
- Kate Vallance (Research Associate)
- Nicole Vishnevsky (Research Assistant)
- Elizabeth Farkouh (Research Assistant )
- Bella Priore (Research Assistant)
- Tina Price (Project Coordinator)
- Julie McEachern (Project Coordinator)