Beer won't be sold in corner stores: Premier Wynne
Changes to alcohol sales coming after review of LCBO, Beer Store completed
Premier Kathleen Wynne says Ontario will not allow beer sales in corner stores when the government changes the rules on the retailing of alcohol this spring.
Wynne says changes are coming to the way beer, wine and spirits are sold once a review is completed of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and its relationship with the Beer Store and wine retailers.
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When pressed today for details, the premier flatly dismissed the idea of beer sales in convenience stores, something the previous Liberal government of David Peterson promised in the late 1980s but never delivered.
Wynne appointed former TD Bank CEO Ed Clark to conduct a review of government assets, including the LCBO, and the Liberals plan to incorporate some of his recommendations in the spring budget.
Clark already recommended the foreign-owned Beer Store give taxpayers a "fair share" of profits for its virtual monopoly on beer sales, which he said could be auctioned off if the Beer Store doesn't want to pay a still undetermined fee.
Craft brewers in Ontario say their market share is being held back by the Beer Store, which makes it difficult — and expensive — for them to sell their products in its 448 retail outlets.
The Beer Store countered with an offer to let craft brewers buy a share in the operation and make it easier for them to list products, but the smaller brewers said they wanted to wait and see what action the government takes.