Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is accelerating its plan to expand alcohol sales in grocery stores —- expected to go into effect as soon as Thursday. The expansion plan, initially slated for August 1, comes in the wake of a 9,000-strong LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) union worker strike. These provincial employees get paid twice minimum wage and have other benefits. Since the July 5 strike, more than 650 stores across the province have shuttered. The expansion will include licensing of canned spirits-based cocktails and larger packs of beer than was previously authorized to sell in Ontario grocery stores. Wine and smaller packs of beer and cider thus far are sold in a select few eligible grocery stores in Ontario, such as Metro. The 450 grocery stores province-wide already selling beer, wine and cider can now order 12-packs of ready-to-drink cocktails and 12 and even 24-packs of beer, to be sold as of Thursday, two weeks ahead of plan. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy in a news release said this is “an important milestone for grocery retailers and consumers alike” and congratulated the “work modernizing Ontario's alcohol marketplace.""Our government is keeping our promise to give people in Ontario choice and convenience while supporting Ontario-made beverage producers across the province, including the Ontario businesses that produce more than 80% of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province," he said. Ford previously said he planned to allow all convenience and grocery stores to obtain a license to sell alcohol by 2026. In May he said that plan would also be fast-tracked, with the new licensing to be available in 2025 instead. LCBO over the weekend said its stores would be reducing the number of hours some locations are open, in some cases down to three or four times a week, and plans for new stores to open have been halted. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents the workers, has said the expansion threatens the LCBO's future as a retailer and could lead to thousands of job losses within a few years.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is accelerating its plan to expand alcohol sales in grocery stores —- expected to go into effect as soon as Thursday. The expansion plan, initially slated for August 1, comes in the wake of a 9,000-strong LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) union worker strike. These provincial employees get paid twice minimum wage and have other benefits. Since the July 5 strike, more than 650 stores across the province have shuttered. The expansion will include licensing of canned spirits-based cocktails and larger packs of beer than was previously authorized to sell in Ontario grocery stores. Wine and smaller packs of beer and cider thus far are sold in a select few eligible grocery stores in Ontario, such as Metro. The 450 grocery stores province-wide already selling beer, wine and cider can now order 12-packs of ready-to-drink cocktails and 12 and even 24-packs of beer, to be sold as of Thursday, two weeks ahead of plan. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy in a news release said this is “an important milestone for grocery retailers and consumers alike” and congratulated the “work modernizing Ontario's alcohol marketplace.""Our government is keeping our promise to give people in Ontario choice and convenience while supporting Ontario-made beverage producers across the province, including the Ontario businesses that produce more than 80% of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province," he said. Ford previously said he planned to allow all convenience and grocery stores to obtain a license to sell alcohol by 2026. In May he said that plan would also be fast-tracked, with the new licensing to be available in 2025 instead. LCBO over the weekend said its stores would be reducing the number of hours some locations are open, in some cases down to three or four times a week, and plans for new stores to open have been halted. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents the workers, has said the expansion threatens the LCBO's future as a retailer and could lead to thousands of job losses within a few years.
