Ontario accelerates alcohol expansion plans amid ongoing LCBO strike
CTV
As the LCBO strike enters its second week, the Ontario government is speeding up its alcohol expansion plans, announcing licensed grocery stores will be able to start selling ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages as of July 18.
As the LCBO strike enters its second week, the Ontario government is speeding up its alcohol expansion plans, announcing licensed grocery stores will be able to start selling ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages as of July 18.
The announcement marks a two-week acceleration of the province’s plan to expand alcohol sales across Ontario, with an end goal of introducing beer, cider, wine and RTDs to convenience stores by Sept. 5.
“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 per cent of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province,” Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in a news release issued Monday.
The first phase of the plan – which was scheduled to begin on Aug. 1 – gives grocery stores which are already licensed the ability to order RTDs and large-pack sizes of beer and sell them as soon as they arrive.
Those 450 grocery stores will also be able to temporarily display alcohol in multiple areas of the store, the government said, adding that retailers with the same owner and or affiliated licensees can transfer some alcoholic beverages between locations to help bars and restaurants manage inventory during the strike.
RTDs have been a hot topic in the ongoing negotiations between the LCBO and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which is representing the Crown corporation’s more than 9,000 striking workers.
OPSEU has argued that the expansion of RTDs and other alcoholic products to grocery and corner stores will impact the $2.5 billion in revenue it generates for public services every year and result in job losses.
