The Manitoba government is planning to allow more private alcohol sales, including a pilot project that could involve grocery and convenience stores.
A bill before the legislature would allow private beer vendors to sell a full range of alcohol including wine and spirits.
They would no longer be required to offer hotel rooms, and could instead operate as stand-alone stores.
Private wine stores would also be allowed the full range, including spirits and beer.
Scott Fielding, the minister for liquor and lotteries, says the changes would make buying alcohol more of a one-stop shopping experience.
The bill would also allow the government to set up a five-year pilot project to let more retailers sell alcohol.
Fielding says details have not been worked out, but grocery stores are one possibility.
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The Retail Council of Canada says it’s disappointed that expansion isn’t going ahead right away.
The Opposition New Democrats say the Tory government is moving toward privatization, and more widely-available alcohol creates a risk that minors might access liquor.
Fielding says the province will maintain government-run stores and not cut staff.
The Retail Council of Canada says it was disappointed that Manitoba is not moving immediately to allow alcohol in more stores. Most other provinces allow people to pick up a bottle of wine while grocery shopping, spokesperson John Graham says.
The Manitoba Hotel Association was pleased with the expanded line of liquor to be made available to its beer-vendor members. But the group warned against opening up liquor sales to other retailers.
“We certainly don’t want to compete with grocery stores. I think that would be quite a mountain for us to climb,” association president Scott Jocelyn says.
The Opposition New Democrats say they are concerned the government is moving to privatize liquor sales and say, if booze is eventually available in corner stores, the risk of sales to children could increase.
Fielding says the government will not close government-run liquor stores or cut staff and made the commitment in a letter to the liquor workers’ union.
He also says he does not expect any effect on the roughly $320-million dollar liquor sales generated for the government. The province makes much of its money through sales taxes and a wholesale markup on prices.
Manitoba’s current liquor system is a mix of public and private, with private stores selling the majority of volume.
There are 63 government-run Liquor Marts–mostly larger high-volume stores in urban areas. There are 240 private beer vendors at hotels, eight private wine stores and 168 private rural liquor stores.
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