Rio Hotel Ltd v New Brunswick (Liquor Licensing Board) [1987] 2 S.C.R. 59 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision on the Constitution's criminal law power. The Court held that, despite overlapping with valid federal law, the provincial law that restricted the amount of nudity in bars was constitutionally valid.

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Quick Facts Rio Hotel Ltd v New Brunswick (Liquor Licensing Board), Hearing: 6 October 1986 Judgment: 29 July 1987 ...

Rio Hotel Ltd v New Brunswick (Liquor Licensing Board)
Supreme Court of Canada
Hearing: 6 October 1986 Judgment: 29 July 1987
Full case name	Rio Hotel Limited v. Liquor Licensing Board, established pursuant to the Liquor Control Act
Citations	[1987] 2 S.C.R. 59
Docket No.	19949 [1]
Ruling	Ruling in favour of Board
Holding
A provincial licensing scheme may be valid even where overlap with federal matters.
Court membership
Reasons given
Majority	Dickson C.J., joined by McIntyre, Wilson and Le Dain JJ.
Concurrence	Estey J., joined by Lamer J.
Concurrence	Beetz J.
Chouinard and La Forest JJ. took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

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The New Brunswick Liquor Control Act required that all liquor licences be accompanied by an entertainment licence that limited the degree of nudity allowed within the establishment. Rio Hotel decided to challenge the constitutionality of the law on the grounds that it related to public morality which is a matter of federal criminal law.

The issue before the Supreme Court was whether "a provincial prohibition of nude entertainment attached to a liquor licensing scheme operates notwithstanding the more general but related prohibitions contained in the Code". The unanimous Court held that it did.

Chief Justice Dickson, writing for McIntyre, Wilson, and Le Dain, held that the law was valid. Dickson characterized the law as regulating entertainment as a means to boost alcohol sales. Presumptively this matter is both of a local nature and relating to property and civil rights. Though there are provisions within the Criminal Code dealing with nudity, they do not conflict with the provincial law.

Furthermore, the law did not possess any penal consequences required for all valid criminal law.

• List of Supreme Court of Canada cases (Dickson Court)