Ontario quietly moving ahead with convenience store beer sales
Ontario has been quietly consulting with stakeholders on how best to bring Premier Doug Ford’s pledge of selling beer in corner stores to fruition, with at least one advocacy group saying they hope to see the market expand by Canada Day 2024.
It’s a promise years in the making. Ford first presented the idea as part of his 2018 election campaign, passing a bill the following year that would axe an existing deal with The Beer Store preventing the expansion.
The Master Framework Agreement (MFA) was first signed in 2015 under the previous Liberal government. The agreement, which limited the expansion of beer and wine sales to 450 grocery stores, expires in 2025.
Negotiations between the government and Beer Store owners have been contentious, which is likely why it has taken so long for the province to move ahead with their proposal. Progressive Conservatives have argued the agreement was a “terrible deal for Ontario consumers” and that it has allowed large beer companies to monopolize alcohol sales.
In the spring of 2023, the Ford government launched consultations on expanding sales to corner stores. Participants were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, so little is known about what is on the table.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Dave Bryans, CEO of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, says he received an invitation to consult on the proposal.
“We are inching if not moving faster towards an open market,” he told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday, noting that he has participated in multiple consultation processes over 13 years and signed numerous NDAs that prevent him from talking about the meetings themselves.
“I think we're going to go forward and I hope by next Canada Day, there'll be some level of convenience stores that will be able to service the community.”
Bryans said he anticipates it will take time before the expansion takes place but that it would provide more convenience for shoppers while supporting small business.
He also said he could see the expansion starting with beer and ready-to-drink beverages like pre-mixed cocktails and coolers.
“I think we have to start somewhere and we have to start testing the market.”
The Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) has publicly expressed concerns about expanding alcohol to corner stores, although it says it declined to participate in the consultation process due to the NDA, arguing the organization wanted to share updates with its membership prior to an official announcement.
Instead, it released a letter in May outlining the “inevitable consequences of illnesses, deaths and social harms to our citizens that will follow with increased sales and consumption of alcohol in Ontario.”
“There's lots and lots of research that tells us that as consumption of alcohol goes up, there are so many related harms that could happen,” John Atkinson, executive director of OPHA, said in an interview with CTV News Toronto.
“These kinds of harms include everything from increases in chronic disease like cancer, because alcohol is a known carcinogen, [and] increases in streets and domestic violence, road crashes, thefts.”
Atkinson argued that alcohol is readily available for consumers at Beer Stores, LCBO stores, and a number of other retailers.
“There's no need to expand sales beyond where they are right now,” he said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial government allowed restaurants to sell alcohol with food as part of a delivery and takeout order and expanded a liquor licence to a 7-Eleven in Leamington with in-store dining. Dozens of other 7-Eleven locations in southwestern Ontario have also applied for a licence.
The government is working towards a September deadline in terms of its negotiations with the Beer Store and consultations with stakeholders, in order to give enough time for a transition as the MFA expires. A spokesperson within the Minister of Finance’s office told CTV News Toronto that while it can’t disclose details of the discussions, “the government supports meaningful change to alcohol sales in Ontario.”
“This is one of many priorities for the government and we look forward to continuing to deliver choice to Ontarians and new opportunities for businesses,” Emily Hogeveen, director of media relations with the minister’s office, said in a statement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
Former South Dakota mayor charged with triple homicide
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Debunking the 'anti-sunscreen' movement: Doctors say TikTok trend is dangerous
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about misinformation from the anti-sunscreen movement, saying not wearing sunscreen can cause cancer and other problems.
Ont. university says professor fired over 'unethical' sexual relationships with students
An associate professor at McMaster University has been fired after its board of governors found that he engaged in 'unethical, inappropriate and in some instances exploitative' sexual relationships with students.
Richard Dreyfuss' comments about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity lead venue to apologize
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
Poilievre Conservatives offer to help Trudeau Liberals pass foreign interference bill
Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party is offering to help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government pass a piece of legislation aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada.