Liquor & Lottery Licenses

1. Complete your application through the AGCO website.
2. Submit a notification letter to the Town Clerk's Office at least 30 days before your event (60 days may be required for some events).

Your notification letter must include:

• Name and contact information of the person responsible for the event
• Event type, date, time, and location
• Estimated attendance
• Maximum occupancy of the event space
• Whether alcohol will be sold or provided free of charge
• A detailed site sketch showing:
  • Event boundaries
  • Tent locations (if applicable)
  • Washroom facilities
  • Other relevant event features such as fire routes, emergency exits, planned entry points and exits, does the site have a fire safety plan, etc. 

Please Note: Additional information may be required for events involving tents, tiered seating, or other special structures.

3. The Clerk's Office will circulate your notification to the following Departments on your behalf. Please not contact these Departments directly as comments and approvals are coordinated through the Clerk’s Office: 
   1. Fire Department 
   2. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) 
   3. Building Department 
4. You must notify Grey Bruce Public Health directly by emailing publichealth@publichealthgreyrbuce.on.ca or calling (519) 376-9420 ext. 4 

Fees may apply. For more information, visit the AGCO website.

AGCO Special Occasion Permits

1. Begin your application through the AGCO website.
2. Submit the following to the Town Clerk's Department:
   1. Agency Letter of Approval
   2. Municipal Information for Liquor Sales Licences form
   3. Occupancy capacity information 
   4. Floor plans submitted to the AGCO
3. Obtain approval from Grey Bruce Public Health by emailing publichealth@publichealthgreyrbuce.on.ca or calling (519) 376-9420 ext. 4 
4. The Clerk's Office will circulate the application to the Fire Department, OPP and Building Department on your behalf. 

Please Note: A site inspection may be required by one or any of these departments. Please do not submit approval requests directly to these departments, as responses will only be provided through the Clerk's Office process. 

5. Each department will review the application and contact the applicant directly to address any concerns. When all concerns have been addressed, each department will complete an AGCO “Agency Letter of Approval” and provide it to the Clerk's Department. Upon receipt of Agency Letters of Approval from the Fire Department, Building Department and OPP, the Town Clerk will then complete the AGCO Municipal Information for Liquor Sales Licences form. The Department fees will be calculated and provided to the Applicant for payment. 
6. Upon receipt of payment of fees, the Clerk's Office will provide the completed approval documents to the applicant for the AGCO application. 

For more information, visit the AGCO website.

AGCO Liquor Sales

Applications for eligible organizations must be provided to the Town Clerk's office 30 days before the start of the lottery event. To be eligible to receive a lottery license, an organization must have a charitable objective and/or purpose such as:

• The relief of poverty
• Advancement of education
• Advancement of religion
• Other charitable purposes that are beneficial to the community

In addition, organizations must have carried out charitable activities that provide a direct benefit to Ontario residents for a minimum of one year. If your eligibility to conduct and manage a lottery event in the Town has not yet been determined, please contact the Town Clerk for assistance. 

Eligible lottery events include:

• bingo events with prize boards of up to $5,500
• non-electronic raffles with prizes of up to $50,000
• 50/50 lotteries
• break open ticket events that are not conducted in conjunction with another licensed gaming event, and where the tickets are sold within the municipality
• bazaar gaming events
• media bingo

The AGCO has set Lottery Terms and Conditions that all organizations must abide by. 

If this is your first time applying for a lottery licence in The Blue Mountains, please complete and submit the following documents:

• Lottery Licence Questionnaire
• A copy of the organization's articles of incorporation or constitution and/or by-laws
• A copy of the organization's financial statements for the preceding and current year
• An up-to-date list of the organization's board of directors, including positions held and contact information

Proceeds from the lottery must be used in a manner that is consistent with the primary objects and purposes of the organization. 

Once the Clerk's Office has determined your eligibility, you may complete an Application Form for the lottery. Application forms for the different types of lotteries are available in the 'Application Forms' section of this webpage. Completed forms can be submitted along with the fee to the Clerk's Office.

For more information on the application process, please contact the Clerk's Office.

• Raffle Licence Application Form
• Bingo Licence Application Form
• Break Open Ticket Licence Application Form
• Blanket Raffle Licence Application Form

The fee for lotteries is three (3) percent of the prize value, to a maximum fee of $100.

Fees can be paid by cash, debit or cheque.

The Criminal Code of Canada, Order-in-Council, Gaming Control Act, 1992, as well as provincial and municipal regulations oversee lottery licensing.

The Criminal Code includes the following sections:

• Section 206 makes it an indictable offence to participate in a lottery scheme in any manner
• Section 207 (1) (a) provides an exemption from the general prohibition against gambling, allowing provincial governments to conduct and manage lottery schemes
• Section 207 (1) (b) provides an exemption from the general prohibition of gambling, allowing eligible charitable and religious organizations to conduct and manage lottery schemes under the authority of a licence issued by the appropriate authority. This section stipulates that eligible organizations must use lottery proceeds for a charitable objective
• Section 207 (1) (b) allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to delegate licensing authority

The Government of Ontario, by Order-in-Council, designates the Registrar of Alcohol and Gaming and Municipal Councils as licensing authorities.