Every province has its own Liquor Act and Liquor Board. You must apply to the provincial liquor board for a liquor licence if you want to sell alcohol. The procedure is complicated and it is best to get an attorney to help you.

Municipalities licence street traders and other businesses that deal with food and social events according to their own by-laws. If you are the owner of a business that sells food that can go off, a restaurant or a place of entertainment, you need a license from your municipality to certify that your premises are safe and meet all standards for hygiene and fires.
(See: Problem 2: Starting a business which needs a business licence)

Different government departments will contact the owner, to make an appointment to visit the business. These inspectors may visit the business:

• Town planner, to see if the business is in an area that is zoned for business purposes
• Health inspector, to see that the business follows all the health rules
• Inspector from the fire department, to see that the business is not a fire hazard
• Mechanical engineer

The inspectors must visit the business within 35 days after you have handed in the form. Your local municipality can give you guidelines of the things inspectors look at. The inspectors will visit the business and tell the municipality what they have found out about the business.

If the inspectors want the owner to make some changes to the business premises, the owner must apply to the local municipality for another 14 days. If the owner does not apply for another 14 days and the work on the premises is not finished by 30 days after giving in the form, the owner will have to apply again and the inspectors will have to come again.

The local municipality will give the person the licence allowing them to do business. The council can give the licence with specific conditions.

In most municipalities, street traders also need a street traders license to trade in public places.

Example:

Nolita applied for a licence to sell fruit and vegetables as a hawker. The council gave her the licence, but on condition that she only trades between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. If Nolita sells fruit and vegetables before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., the council can take away her licence.

The council will not give a licence if:

• The place where the owner does business is unsafe or unhygienic
• The person is not considered to be a suitable person to open a business, because he or she has a criminal conviction, or has a reputation for cheating people in the community