The Edmonton Police Service announced Tuesday that a liquor store ID-scanning pilot project that was launched early this year will be expanded in 2021, including to Calgary.

An idea out of MacEwan University has been selected from more than 200 entries as a promising way to help combat liquor store theft in Edmonton -- a crime that saw a 300 per cent increase from 2018 to 2019.

With liquor store robberies on the rise in the city, the Edmonton Police Foundation and Alcanna have teamed up in hopes of finding a solution that will lead to a drastic reduction in the crime.

Alberta's privacy commissioner is investigating Alcanna's ID-scanning pilot project aimed at curbing violent liquor store robberies.

A plan to crack down on violent robberies at liquor stores by scanning people's IDs before allowing them inside has Alberta's privacy commissioner concerned.

Edmonton police and Alberta's largest liquor store owner have launched an ID scanning pilot project to curb the drastic rise in robberies.

According to the Alberta Liquor Store Association, there have been 5,000 liquor store robberies in Edmonton in 2019 -- a 300 per cent increase over 2018.

It's been a week and a half since recreational cannabis became legal in Canada and already, some Edmonton retail locations have sold out of their product supply.

Alcanna, which operates five Nova Cannabis stores in Alberta, said dried cannabis flower was in high demand, with strains high in THC being the most popular.

It's been four days since recreational cannabis became legal in Canada and lineups were still long outside licensed retail outlets in Edmonton — at least the ones that still have product left.