Molson-Coors Brewery To Close In Edmonton

"Nationally, 25 per cent of beer is consumed in cans," said Molson chief brewing officer Daniel Pelland. "In the West it was in the 50-per-cent range and it's now up to 60 per cent." Another factor in the closure of breweries throughout Canada in recent years was an interprovincial trade agreement of the early 1990s that allowed domestic beer to be moved across provincial boundaries. Prior to that, all domestic beer had to be produced in the province in which it was consumed. Molson House, the brewery at 104th Avenue and 121st Street in Edmonton's downtown, will close permanently after opening in 1904 as a Sicks brewery. The landmark building, which was taken over by Molson's in 1958, faces an uncertain future since it was never placed on the city's list of protected historic buildings. At one point, Alberta supported three Molson breweries. The 104th Avenue brewery is the last of the three to close. The Edmonton plant is only the most recent Molson closure since Canada became a free-trade zone for domestic beer. "We closed out the Regina brewery in 2002. Barrie closed in 1999 and we closed our Fleet Street brewery in Toronto in 1989," said company spokesman Ferg Devins. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=522b7ac6-504e-4742-bb90-e3901a18bfc2 Previous Vive Stories on the merger of Molson and Coors: http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20050429133129452 http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=2005051114541359 http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php?story=20060203141948585 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on August 3, 2007]

Note: http://www.canada.com/e... http://www.vivelecanada... http://www.vivelecanada... http://www.vivelecanada...