Labatt to switch the taps from beer to water production to support wildfire relief

CITYnews halifax / By Rachel Morgan

Labatt is one of Canada’s most established and leading brewers, but the company’s value extends further than providing Canadians with beer.

Beginning Sunday evening, Labatt’s Halifax brewery will shift from producing beer to producing clean, drinkable water to support the community in a time of need.

Wade Keller, Director of Corporate Affairs at Labatt, told CityNews this is a move that all Labatt employees take pride in.

“Everyone is so excited when they see these water cans rolled out,” he said.

In 2012, Labatt created its Canadian Disaster Relief Program to provide safe drinking water for communities experiencing disasters that compromised the community water supply. Labatt has donated more than one million cans of water to support communities across the country since the launch of the program.

The shift in production this week is a response to wildfires raging across the country.

Related:

• Halifax Water asks customers to reduce water usage
• Province-wide burn ban now in effect until mid-October
• Wildfire season officially begins Saturday in Nova Scotia
• 2025 wildfire season on track to be Canada’s 2nd-worst on record

The 2025 wildfire season has been the second worst on record in Canada, with 72,000 square kilometres burning, roughly the size of New Brunswick, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

According to provincial data, Nova Scotia alone has experienced 111 wildfires so far in 2025, decimating 69.27 hectares.

Keller told CityNews Labatt currently has a deal with a local organization to provide water and expects to hear from the province soon.

Beginning Sunday evening, the company expects to produce 20,000 litres of water, rolled out into 60,000 cans. Labatt is uniquely qualified to provide water, as Keller said, switching the taps does not pose many logistical challenges.

“The biggest change would be extra cleaning on our lines,” he said.

While turning off the beer does mean the company loses some profit in sales, Keller expressed that this hit is marginal compared to the pride the company has in helping its fellow Canadians.

“It’s our way of giving back,” he said, “and saying thank you to those who have chosen our brand.”

A can of Labatt drinking water is shown in this photo handout. (Labatt)