The Temperance movement brought about Prohibition, which brought about Rum Running!
During WWI, the importance of contributing to the war effort overseas meant many Canadians gave up alcohol willingly - a win for the temperance and prohibition movements around the country. It was, as most saw it, plain insensitive to spend money on that which wasn't necessary while family and friends were dying across the ocean for them. The fight for either moderation in drinking or a flat out ban of it had lasted through the later 1800s, and it seemed that prohibitionists had finally won when provinces enacted their own laws with public support - but had it? B.C. voted in favour of prohibition in September of 1916. There were many scenes like the one in the above photo, where raids took place, to empty out all of the liquor that was already sitting in casks and warehouses. Although there were still a good number of people who fought against it (as evidenced by the sign on the building, below).
Though the general populace of BC voted for prohibition, it wasn't exactly as restrictive as those campaigning (such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union) had hoped; the purchase and manufacture of alcohol was illegal but drinking it was not. Regulation itself was unreliable, with most enforcement turning a blind eye. By 1921, no one was satisfied, with prohibitionists pushing for more rules while those against it began to resent the limits already there. British Columbia was the second province to abolish their provincial prohibition that year, right after Quebec. The others would gradually follow, the latest being Prince Edward Island, who finally legalized alcohol in 1948.
Read "Prohibition Comes to the Okanagan" for details on who led the push for prohibition, and which cities were "dry" ... Okanagan Historical Society Reports #41
"Police Report - Illegal Vending of Liquor":
Rum-Running
For a little more information on the business of rum-running that developed because of prohibition, check the links in our other blog post.
Photo below is from the 'Old Kelowna' Facebook page of a Prohibition Agent and the illegal alcohol he took from a local bootlegger.
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