The structure
Beverage alcohol is controlled province by province. In Ontario, product for resale is imported through the LCBO, which acts as importer and buyer. You do not ship into a private warehouse and begin selling.
This is the fact that most surprises producers from open markets, and it changes everything downstream: who owns your stock, who sets the retail price, who you invoice, and how long your money is out. Any plan built on open market assumptions needs rewriting before it costs you anything.
The federal layer
Separate from the provincial route, alcohol entering Canada carries federal excise obligations, and labels must satisfy Canadian requirements including bilingual elements and the declarations the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires.
Labelling is the most common cause of avoidable delay we see, because it tends to be left until a product has already been selected. At that point a change means a new print run and a missed window. It is worth getting looked at early, and it costs very little to do so.
Ontario is not Canada
Ontario is the largest single market and the usual starting point, but a national plan is a different exercise. Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and the Atlantic provinces each run their own board, process and logistics, and Alberta works differently from the rest.
Treating a successful Ontario listing as a template to copy across the country is a mistake. Pricing, packaging and volume commitments often need rethinking province by province. Decide early which you are building, because it changes what you should agree to in year one.
Common questions
Can I import my own alcohol into Canada to sell?
Not into the retail trade in Ontario. Product for resale is imported through the LCBO, which acts as importer and buyer.
Does my agent import for me?
No. The AGCO licence held by Ontario agents does not permit importing liquor directly. Import runs through the LCBO.
Does an Ontario listing help in other provinces?
It helps as evidence, but it does not carry across. Each province runs its own board and process.