Give the Beer Store 1/4 billion for free just so people continue to buy their beer from them because it is significantly cheaper and available in better sizes.
GREAT PLAN.
EXPERT LEVEL BUSINESS DECISIONS.
> This isn’t to help the province, it’s to help his friends
Remember, one of the first things he did was change the motto to "Open for business".
He was telling everyone how he would govern.
dougie ford been all for ripping up the Beer Store contract for a long time now. [Steps were taken to rip up the contract in **2019**.](https://globalnews.ca/news/5321606/ford-government-beer-store-contract/) So why *now?* The contract itself ends Nov 2025. So why rip up the contract *now,* 5 years after tabling legislation to do exactly this, and pay The Beer Store $225 million for the privilege of doing cancelling the contract 16 months early?!?!? Why wouldn't Ontario just wait until next November?
Isn't it exceptionally fishy, for a premier who has been touting eliminating the Beer Store for *year*s to do it mere months before the contract would expire anyway? How long has the Beer Store been around?! Only an idiot would think / plan to pay $225,000,000 to cancel the contract 16 months early. *OR* only somebody who is somehow profiting from this entire fiasco would expect the taxpayers of Ontario to pay hundreds of millions so Ontario can have beer in convenience stores 16 months sooner than later. This is a scandal being sold to us as "look, convenient beer, this is better for consumers".
Its to help himself. His "family business" makes labels for beer and wine companies. He directly benefits from retailers holding more stock of beer/wine.
I know people will buy it. But given both the Beer Store and a convenience store are both open, why would *anyone* pay the 50% markup on beer? It's not like a bottle of pop where you'd buy one while in a rush.
That’s what they’re banking on. People in a rush, last minute sales, or people who can’t/wont go to TBS or LCBO. Given that a large majority of people drive tho, you’re right. There’s almost no reason id go to my local corner store instead of just stopping at the beer store and buying a case on my way home.
Oh I know, I've read that too. It's implied in this article that some stores will (or might) close.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/alcohol-sales-convenience-stores-ontario-1.7213546#:~:text=The%20Beer%20Store%20is%20also,accept%20empties%2C%20the%20province%20says.
"At a technical briefing for media Friday, Ministry of Finance officials said the $225 million from the province will help The Beer Store maintain jobs in an **evolved retail footprint**" (bolding mine).
> It's not like a bottle of pop where you'd buy one while in a rush.
Hey, you've only got so much time between construction jobs to slam that 6 pack down, Don't assume no ones in a rush! /s
Wynne should never have given them a 10 year monopoly, I totally agree. I am so sick and fucking tired of all the fucking monopoliies governments create here in Canada.
If your local MPP is a conservative, you might be able to put some pressure on them by calling their office and telling them how stupid of a decision this is and how you won't vote for them. Bonus points if you live in a swing seat.
The idea is that alcohol can reach remote area convenience stores. Which close at 6pm. So people stockpile. And then they forget about the important stuff that matters to Ontarians because they’re drunk.
I enjoy drinking. I have so many options already. Beer store. LCBO. Grocery store. Local breweries. Uber Eats delivers many of these options for added convenience.
I don't care at all about being able to go to Circle K and get a beer. This whole thing is stupid.
Local breweries usually even include delivery if you buy enough.
Why would I ever go to the beer store again if it’s cheaper and easier to just order it directly?
I buy a 5 or 6 cases every few months and it’s way cheaper and easier to just order it from Great Lakes brewery. They deliver all over the GTA and their beer is good. The prices are ok and they have different beers available all the time.
I'm guessing there will be a much better selection and prices at the beer store and lcbo anyway so I'll mostly continue to go there on my way home from work. I can only see myself buying maybe the odd 6 pack at a convienace store and then hating myself for doinf it knowing I'm paying a few dollars more then somewhere else.
If it's anything like most places with fully privatized beer sales, corner stores will stock a few top sellers and that's it, grocery stores will stock more or less what they stock now, and places that actually cater to having a large selection will be few and far between (probably roughly at the volume that you see bottle shops sneaking through the restaurant carryout law in big cities nowadays)
I couldn't tell you the last time I went into a convenience store. And it especially wasn't for food. It was to pay for gas.
No one asked for this, especially at that price point.
Its only stupid because it costs 250 million. If we naturally let the contract run out I would 100% want more options and competition. Right now the only place to get a case of beer is The Beer Store, anywhere else you are only limited to 6 packs which are marked up compared to a 24. While yes you do have options they are limited and expensive (who uses Uber eats to buy beer thats double the price ?)
That's your situation sure, but I'm excited for it. The nearest place I can buy beer right now needs a car or transit to get to, and while i'd still drive out to get better beer at better prices most of the time I'd also really like the option of just taking a walk to pick up a couple cans.
NOT that I think this was worth fucking around with the beer store contract. Like, I could have waited
7-Eleven.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/02/18/ford-confirms-meeting-with-7-eleven-as-chain-applies-to-serve-alcohol/
Soon to appear across the street from every independent convenience store in Ontario.
The convenience store lobby. My impression is that this is meant to replace tobacco as the "lifeblood" of the corner store.
That and $5.00 roller hot dogs.
I live in a urban community. They closed my communities Beer Store 3 years ago so now all were stuck with is two large LCBOs. It's a solid 40 minute round trip of just driving to get to the nearest Beer Store now if you don't want to pay 6 pack prices.
Why would you think our grocery stores and lcbo close super early? I’m in a town of 10,000 and I’ve lived in bigger cities ( Windsor) and the hours are the same.
This. My mom's small town, everything is shut at 6, except maybe a convenience store.
Great news if you want beer and to rent The Perfect Storm in a dusty DVD case.
It happens. I live in a town of 20,000, and if I haven’t picked up beer by 6 pm I’ve got to drive a town over, since none of our grocery stores chose to stock beer.
Have a LCBO in the town I'm in, it is closed by 1800h except for Fridays. Beer store is between 1800h and 2000h depending on the day.
Next town over, about a 30min drive each way, its 2100h for the lcbo and 1800-2100h for the beer store. Sure you could go to the grocery store which is open till 2300h, but the selection is limited to only a handful of the most popular brands on both beer and wine.
> Who asked for any of this exactly?
Smaller town residents: in many smaller towns, the supermarket closes 5/6pm. The convenience store(s) stay open longer - sometimes 11pm. Not to mention the drive to the nearest city is 30 mins (in my case).
If you consider alcohol purchasing to be a good thing, this definitely has a chance to make alcohol purchasing more convenient for a lot of smaller town/city residents. I say this as someone who generally isn’t a fan of the PC govt.
I’d also bet the convenience store lobby is hard behind this especially with generationally declining tobacco sales.
> most of those places have lcbo outlets, no?
Doubt it. That release lists 150 communities. I feel like there are WAY more places.
When you get out to areas north of Belleville; or more than 30 minutes from Thunder Bay; or north of Parry Sound.
Ontario is HUGE. It’s hard to even contemplate a mini-LCBO in some of these towns. The convenience store thing actually makes sense to me in those contexts.
They own The Beer Store... they don't want this at all (and they've spend years campaigning against it). They're the ones (along with Sapporo) who are going to be paid out hundreds of millions because Doug can't wait for the MFA to expire Dec 31 2025.
But what have the NDP ever done for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
They had 4 years to fix the province, we better give the Conservatives, who have had power for 71 years since Ontario inception, another 4.
The Liberals? Oh they are SOOOOO like the Conservatives but lite. Why be less damaging to the province when you can maximize the damage!
Hold the rotary telephone here, we haven't got a perfectly flawless method of moving forward, directly to the end goal, so we should be moving backwards until we do.
Convenience stores sell energy drinks 2/$6. I know because the ads on the gas pumps insistently tell me this information. I will be just thrilled when drunk drivers can grab a beer there. And also more robberies. Awesome. /s
I lived in mtl for around 6 years. They sell in corner stores. Alcohol ended up being cheaper there across-the-board so I wonder how in ontario it will end up being more expensive by following the same model.
Are we going to follow the same model? Just because we're allowing convenience store sales doesn't mean it will be an identical system.
Just note that Ford has never once claimed this will make prices lower... it's all about 'convenience' (making it far more accessible)
Thank you! Finally someone pointed out the obvious comparable to what we will have in Ontario once this is implemented. Quebec still has the SAQ for most types of alcohol, but you can buy beer and wine in corner stores and the world hasn't ended.
Even if convenience stores sell only local brew supplied beer, do you honestly believe they will be able to sell with the same margin as The Beer Store or the LCBO or grocery stores? To spread overhead costs as equally while being a fraction of the size?
When it comes to big labels, it would be easier to resell alcohol bought from the LCBO or Beer Store over trying to make deals with the Anheuser-Busch and the like or meet distributor demands and costs in an LCBO dominated market. So for them to sell at the same price convenience stores are expected to make essentially nothing on sales?
Or do you mean the same price at major grocery chains? Where you would be right and is the crux of the problem. This regulation change does *nothing* to help small business owners but is a whole new revenue stream for the Westons and our grocery corporations.
There's also going to be way less variety at these convenience locations. They're already packed to the tits with merchandise - there's only so much room they can devote to merchandising beer & wine, which are *not* high-margin items.
While also being high risk theft items, something the LCBO has been trying to tackle for a while.
I actually *want* more diversity in our distribution. But I want it to benefit small Ontario, not big chains already exploiting us. 😔
My local convenience store has been an LCBO outlet since the pandemic. You can already buy beer and liquor at convenience stores across the province.
This is just Ford’s way of fucking us harder.
What's not been raised yet (at least in this thread) are the risks that these stores are going to sell these items to under-age youth and intoxicated people. I worked at the Beer Store once upon a time and they took carding and watching for drunks very seriously.
More than a few horror stories from QC about young folks buying mixed alcoholic drinks at the depanneur and ending up dead or in hospital.
"Some convenience stores may opt not to sell beer and wine at all, others could charge a 20% to 50% premium"
Yes.
They COULD charge 20 to 50%
They could also charge 7000%.
They COULD charge any goddamn thing they want.
They most likely won't because they won't be competitive.
But, yes, they CAN charge what they want.
This is how capitalism works
How is this even a story.
I mean, if they're going to do the thing where they lock them up at 11, same time as grocery stores and the wine rack are still open, what's the point of this exactly? People too drunk to drive?
It was never about making it cheaper - it was about expanding access to the public (because you know - people have been clamouring for this for years... everyone is demanding it!)
People wanted the convenience but failed to realize that the cost for the beer store to deliver beer to the beer store is 0. Now factor in delivery and fuel fees, on top of the convenience stores trying to make their profits on top of a product that is already taxed to death….theres the answer.
One consequence of this I think is it's going to push some soft drinks/energy drinks/waters out of the market. These convenience stores only have so much shelf/cooler space and I'm guessing the markup on a ~$5 can of beer is going to be a lot more than a ~$2 can of whatever.
Could, but likely, won't. Supply vs demand. You'll have more stores offering alcohol compared to LCBO and they all want to stay competitive to sell more volume of alcohol.
Good. Let it sit there. The newer generations aren't drinking anyway. I don't know what this government's obsession is with alcohol, sports betting and lottery.
We just want homes and healthcare ffs.
Time to go back to brewing I guess. In college my roommate and I each did batch a week and helped each other bottle, we had a great work flow. It was about 3 cases each every couple weeks once we had staggered batches. At one point I had all the space under my double bed completelly full of cases of homebrew.
This time I'd skip the bottling and invest in keg system and fridge. My brother and his GF have been brewing more wine again, cheap and delicious.
yup, my buddy does this in his garage and spends like 10-20 bucks to make a 50L keg of anything from Lager, IPA, Cider, Wine, Ale's etc... He's getting better, some batches better than others. But he's got 3 or 4 going at a time then puts the finished beer in a keg fridge and he basically never runs out of it anymore.
And by 2026, all the country Retail Partner places that sell beer and wine will be able to jack their prices as much as they want, too. Isn't that a huge step forward for freedom?
Is Ford just trying to get us all drunk so we just get shit faced & forget about how things are, uh, not so good? Cause that what it feels like.. when things go to shit Fords like ‘here guys - a buck a beer! Alcohol in convenience stores! Just drink & forget all your problems!’ I don’t need alcohol at the convenience store, I need my doctor to be more available for appointments not spread out through different offices in different towns and the hospital, making it so I can only make appointments 3 weeks out or go to the ER because some walk ins require you to be on their roster or it’s a telehealth video call with a doctor from Toronto or an NP and an admonishment from the clinic you’re with about doing that.
I'm surprised that people aren't bringing it up, but the corner stores aren't going to have anywhere near as big a selection as TBS. You're going to be more or less restricted to Labatts, Bud, or Coors products. Yay! /S
Doug doing what he always does. Make the wrong decision. See the consequences of that wrong decision. See the poll numbers drop. Apologize and backtrack.
Every. Freaking. Time. 🤦♂️
Alberta went the booze store route and it sucks. Hope everyone likes derivatives of Molson Canadian. ... Might kiss a lot of craft beer breweries goodbye too.
Exactly. No one is going to pay 50% more for a beer. It'll end up being priced very similar to the lcbo and the convenience store owners will be happy to have another product to sell.
Folks! The peeeoplle of Onttaaaario will not tolerate this! If these convenience store owners jack up these prices, I'll be on them like an 800lb gorilla. We're watching folks!
Because allowing competition will increase prices somehow. The only problem is that it's going to be cheaper to drink beer than everything else. Labatts has been cheaper on the US side for decades... even after shipping it there...
Most things are cheaper in the US because higher population and population density. It's easier to lower prices and make up for it with higher quantity.
Also helps they have lower or no taxes on most things depending on state.
Give the Beer Store 1/4 billion for free just so people continue to buy their beer from them because it is significantly cheaper and available in better sizes. GREAT PLAN. EXPERT LEVEL BUSINESS DECISIONS.
This is what Doug Ford means when he says that his $225 deal is a money maker. This isn’t to help the province, it’s to help his friends
> This isn’t to help the province, it’s to help his friends Remember, one of the first things he did was change the motto to "Open for business". He was telling everyone how he would govern.
dougie ford been all for ripping up the Beer Store contract for a long time now. [Steps were taken to rip up the contract in **2019**.](https://globalnews.ca/news/5321606/ford-government-beer-store-contract/) So why *now?* The contract itself ends Nov 2025. So why rip up the contract *now,* 5 years after tabling legislation to do exactly this, and pay The Beer Store $225 million for the privilege of doing cancelling the contract 16 months early?!?!? Why wouldn't Ontario just wait until next November? Isn't it exceptionally fishy, for a premier who has been touting eliminating the Beer Store for *year*s to do it mere months before the contract would expire anyway? How long has the Beer Store been around?! Only an idiot would think / plan to pay $225,000,000 to cancel the contract 16 months early. *OR* only somebody who is somehow profiting from this entire fiasco would expect the taxpayers of Ontario to pay hundreds of millions so Ontario can have beer in convenience stores 16 months sooner than later. This is a scandal being sold to us as "look, convenient beer, this is better for consumers".
The conspiratorial take is this aligns with speculation they're angling to call an early election
I agree, it'll be an early election. $225 million of tax payers money so ford has something to campaign on. And it'll work.
How he isn't in jail I do not understand
Its to help himself. His "family business" makes labels for beer and wine companies. He directly benefits from retailers holding more stock of beer/wine.
The beer store will make even more, as they’re gonna be supplying a lot of the beer to these stores on top of their own sales.
I know people will buy it. But given both the Beer Store and a convenience store are both open, why would *anyone* pay the 50% markup on beer? It's not like a bottle of pop where you'd buy one while in a rush.
That’s what they’re banking on. People in a rush, last minute sales, or people who can’t/wont go to TBS or LCBO. Given that a large majority of people drive tho, you’re right. There’s almost no reason id go to my local corner store instead of just stopping at the beer store and buying a case on my way home.
I just hope they don't close all The Beer Store locations down. The recycling program is amazing.
They’ve said they plan to leave the beer store to continue operating as usual, and even specifically said they would continue the recycling program.
Oh I know, I've read that too. It's implied in this article that some stores will (or might) close. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/alcohol-sales-convenience-stores-ontario-1.7213546#:~:text=The%20Beer%20Store%20is%20also,accept%20empties%2C%20the%20province%20says. "At a technical briefing for media Friday, Ministry of Finance officials said the $225 million from the province will help The Beer Store maintain jobs in an **evolved retail footprint**" (bolding mine).
We just need recycling stations like other provinces. Alberta is a model for this.
> It's not like a bottle of pop where you'd buy one while in a rush. Hey, you've only got so much time between construction jobs to slam that 6 pack down, Don't assume no ones in a rush! /s
Seems like lots of unnecessary risk to precarious workers for little payoff
Probably in places where the beer store/lcbo close at 9.
Every level of government is speed running pure horse shit - I want off this ride, I literally fucking hate it
Conservatives sure know business
It almost seems like blatant visible corruption.
So...like just about everything else at a convenience store then.
At least we’re not paying $230 million for the privilege to do so!
>$230 million for the privilege to do so! Yeah, what moron pays $230 million to...oh, never mind.
Never minding is what got us here!
>Never minding is what got us here! The moron is what got us here.
To be fair, $230M is the *most conservative* estimate... Which means it'll almost certainly cost far more. Lucky us!
Wynne should never have given them a 10 year monopoly, I totally agree. I am so sick and fucking tired of all the fucking monopoliies governments create here in Canada.
*and far from Doug's promise of Buck-A-Beer...?*
Cheers 🍻 to another Big Fat LIE 🍻
Buck-fifty-a-beer or buck-a-two-thirds-a-beer isn't as catchy.
Focus groups trying to come up with something better than ‘Twonie a Brewski’ at record pace
Brewski for a twoski
It’s brewski twoski every Tuesday night at The Furry Fury on Capital street
He meant buck a beer of profit to retailers.
Future headline: Ontario to redefine "buck"
It’s almost like you’re paying a premium… for the convenience
>It’s almost like you’re paying a premium… for the convenience As the idea is being floated to everyone as a way to get cheaper beer.
Why does Quebec have such cheap beer compared to Ontario? Is it just taxed less there?
Doesn't really match the eye test IMO
Quebec has lower taxes across the board yes so that cuts into everything.
I’m so sick of this province and these politicians
Remember to write your local MP who is absolutely useless to make zero difference!
Remember to vote! Oh right no one does that either!
If your local MPP is a conservative, you might be able to put some pressure on them by calling their office and telling them how stupid of a decision this is and how you won't vote for them. Bonus points if you live in a swing seat.
Phew! Good thing Ford is focused on what matters most to Ontarians. /s
The idea is that alcohol can reach remote area convenience stores. Which close at 6pm. So people stockpile. And then they forget about the important stuff that matters to Ontarians because they’re drunk.
Who asked for any of this exactly?
I enjoy drinking. I have so many options already. Beer store. LCBO. Grocery store. Local breweries. Uber Eats delivers many of these options for added convenience. I don't care at all about being able to go to Circle K and get a beer. This whole thing is stupid.
Excuse me, but you can grab a bag of chips at the same time! /s
And those chips are on sale, 2 bags for 9.50
And each bag contains the equivalent of around 1-2 potatoes, so 4 potatoes for $9.50. You just don't see deals like that very often.
Yeah, but they’re processed and have all the nutrients stripped out and greasy fats put in! Can you really put a price on that!?
But what about flavor? Surely you can't put a price on a taste that vaguely resembles what it represents?
Can’t do that at Sobeys!!
Sobeys? In this economy?!
Not for how much they’re charging! $7 for a bag of Doritos.
Local breweries usually even include delivery if you buy enough. Why would I ever go to the beer store again if it’s cheaper and easier to just order it directly? I buy a 5 or 6 cases every few months and it’s way cheaper and easier to just order it from Great Lakes brewery. They deliver all over the GTA and their beer is good. The prices are ok and they have different beers available all the time.
What about getting canadian tire money for buying beer? Checkmate, liberals.
> canadian tire money You're old!
I'm guessing there will be a much better selection and prices at the beer store and lcbo anyway so I'll mostly continue to go there on my way home from work. I can only see myself buying maybe the odd 6 pack at a convienace store and then hating myself for doinf it knowing I'm paying a few dollars more then somewhere else.
If it's anything like most places with fully privatized beer sales, corner stores will stock a few top sellers and that's it, grocery stores will stock more or less what they stock now, and places that actually cater to having a large selection will be few and far between (probably roughly at the volume that you see bottle shops sneaking through the restaurant carryout law in big cities nowadays)
Look up Alberta’s offerings. Way more than any LCBO. Competition drives innovation and stores order more eclectic offerings to form a niche.
I couldn't tell you the last time I went into a convenience store. And it especially wasn't for food. It was to pay for gas. No one asked for this, especially at that price point.
The best part about this is I already can go to Circle K and get beer/wine cause a local one is an LCBO convenience store.
I never understood why this is a big deal either. I enjoy beer, I usually have access to the Beer Store/LCBO within 10-15 min drive.
Buck more a beer. You got what was promised to you
My Circle K stonks didn’t even go up.
Its only stupid because it costs 250 million. If we naturally let the contract run out I would 100% want more options and competition. Right now the only place to get a case of beer is The Beer Store, anywhere else you are only limited to 6 packs which are marked up compared to a 24. While yes you do have options they are limited and expensive (who uses Uber eats to buy beer thats double the price ?)
That's your situation sure, but I'm excited for it. The nearest place I can buy beer right now needs a car or transit to get to, and while i'd still drive out to get better beer at better prices most of the time I'd also really like the option of just taking a walk to pick up a couple cans. NOT that I think this was worth fucking around with the beer store contract. Like, I could have waited
7-Eleven. https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/02/18/ford-confirms-meeting-with-7-eleven-as-chain-applies-to-serve-alcohol/ Soon to appear across the street from every independent convenience store in Ontario.
The convenience store lobby. My impression is that this is meant to replace tobacco as the "lifeblood" of the corner store. That and $5.00 roller hot dogs.
The CEO of 7 Eleven: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-premier-doug-ford-7-eleven-beer-wine-licence-1.5917186
I'm guessing less urban communities where the grocery stores and LCBO close super early.
I live in a urban community. They closed my communities Beer Store 3 years ago so now all were stuck with is two large LCBOs. It's a solid 40 minute round trip of just driving to get to the nearest Beer Store now if you don't want to pay 6 pack prices.
Why would you think our grocery stores and lcbo close super early? I’m in a town of 10,000 and I’ve lived in bigger cities ( Windsor) and the hours are the same.
Because in many smaller towns, especially more north, everything closes at like 5 or 6pm.
This. My mom's small town, everything is shut at 6, except maybe a convenience store. Great news if you want beer and to rent The Perfect Storm in a dusty DVD case.
If everything is closed then aren't the convenience stores as well?
Those are usually the only things open. Gas station/convenience stores.
Making more of these stores LCBO outlets would be a better approach (and considerably cheaper)
It happens. I live in a town of 20,000, and if I haven’t picked up beer by 6 pm I’ve got to drive a town over, since none of our grocery stores chose to stock beer.
Have a LCBO in the town I'm in, it is closed by 1800h except for Fridays. Beer store is between 1800h and 2000h depending on the day. Next town over, about a 30min drive each way, its 2100h for the lcbo and 1800-2100h for the beer store. Sure you could go to the grocery store which is open till 2300h, but the selection is limited to only a handful of the most popular brands on both beer and wine.
> Who asked for any of this exactly? Smaller town residents: in many smaller towns, the supermarket closes 5/6pm. The convenience store(s) stay open longer - sometimes 11pm. Not to mention the drive to the nearest city is 30 mins (in my case). If you consider alcohol purchasing to be a good thing, this definitely has a chance to make alcohol purchasing more convenient for a lot of smaller town/city residents. I say this as someone who generally isn’t a fan of the PC govt. I’d also bet the convenience store lobby is hard behind this especially with generationally declining tobacco sales.
most of those places have lcbo outlets, no? https://www.lcbo.com/content/dam/lcbo/corporate-pages/media%20release/community-list-en.pdf
> most of those places have lcbo outlets, no? Doubt it. That release lists 150 communities. I feel like there are WAY more places. When you get out to areas north of Belleville; or more than 30 minutes from Thunder Bay; or north of Parry Sound. Ontario is HUGE. It’s hard to even contemplate a mini-LCBO in some of these towns. The convenience store thing actually makes sense to me in those contexts.
They already have hybrid lcbo/Avondale or other convenience stores in small towns.
The convenience store lobbyists
InBev and Molson-Coors
They own The Beer Store... they don't want this at all (and they've spend years campaigning against it). They're the ones (along with Sapporo) who are going to be paid out hundreds of millions because Doug can't wait for the MFA to expire Dec 31 2025.
Nope. Loblaws and other big grocers. They get the benefit when the beer store no longer has their cushy deal.
The Weston's and or other donors
Vote Ford out!
it'll be fucking great if this actually happened. Now those buck a beer fools will turn their opinion around
But what have the NDP ever done for MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! They had 4 years to fix the province, we better give the Conservatives, who have had power for 71 years since Ontario inception, another 4. The Liberals? Oh they are SOOOOO like the Conservatives but lite. Why be less damaging to the province when you can maximize the damage!
Hold the rotary telephone here, we haven't got a perfectly flawless method of moving forward, directly to the end goal, so we should be moving backwards until we do.
upvote for the phone ref
Yeah, enough of these red herring topics.
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Im still going to Hull !
And if people think this markup is insane, just wait till Drug Fraud gets his way and totally privatizes health care..
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Who’s ready for $6.50 a tall can?
It will be pretty funny to see people holding up a beer in one hand and an energy drink in the other and wondering, “How are these the same price?!”
Or asking *why is it so many bucks for a buck a beer?* 🤔
"Buck a beer" is the new "Five dollar foot long".
🎵12 dollar, 12 dollar 6 iiiiiiinch! 🎶 Not as catchy imo
Convenience stores sell energy drinks 2/$6. I know because the ads on the gas pumps insistently tell me this information. I will be just thrilled when drunk drivers can grab a beer there. And also more robberies. Awesome. /s
I lived in mtl for around 6 years. They sell in corner stores. Alcohol ended up being cheaper there across-the-board so I wonder how in ontario it will end up being more expensive by following the same model.
Are we going to follow the same model? Just because we're allowing convenience store sales doesn't mean it will be an identical system. Just note that Ford has never once claimed this will make prices lower... it's all about 'convenience' (making it far more accessible)
Quebec has less taxes on its beer.
We have higher taxes on alcohol. It's also cheaper at SAQ's than at LCBO's for the same reason.
Greed and corruption?
Thank you! Finally someone pointed out the obvious comparable to what we will have in Ontario once this is implemented. Quebec still has the SAQ for most types of alcohol, but you can buy beer and wine in corner stores and the world hasn't ended.
I've been cutting alcohol from my diet for health reasons, but this will push me to be completely sober. So... good job Ford?
The sin tax is working! 👍on the being healthier part though. Nice
It won't be, it's going to be the same price
Even if convenience stores sell only local brew supplied beer, do you honestly believe they will be able to sell with the same margin as The Beer Store or the LCBO or grocery stores? To spread overhead costs as equally while being a fraction of the size? When it comes to big labels, it would be easier to resell alcohol bought from the LCBO or Beer Store over trying to make deals with the Anheuser-Busch and the like or meet distributor demands and costs in an LCBO dominated market. So for them to sell at the same price convenience stores are expected to make essentially nothing on sales? Or do you mean the same price at major grocery chains? Where you would be right and is the crux of the problem. This regulation change does *nothing* to help small business owners but is a whole new revenue stream for the Westons and our grocery corporations.
There's also going to be way less variety at these convenience locations. They're already packed to the tits with merchandise - there's only so much room they can devote to merchandising beer & wine, which are *not* high-margin items.
While also being high risk theft items, something the LCBO has been trying to tackle for a while. I actually *want* more diversity in our distribution. But I want it to benefit small Ontario, not big chains already exploiting us. 😔
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From buck-a-beer to $5-a-can beer. Amazing.
Everything Ford touches turns to shit.
My local convenience store has been an LCBO outlet since the pandemic. You can already buy beer and liquor at convenience stores across the province. This is just Ford’s way of fucking us harder.
Every small town has had this for ages. The only places that don’t are cities.
Fuck this whole ridiculously moronic plan and the ridiculous moron who came up with it.
I'm a very casual drinker and never had a problem going to the beer store or LCBO. Why the hell are we wasting money on this?!
Because it let's Ford send money to someone. Someone is making a mint off this somewhere.
Doug Ford, for the wealthy donors - again
Yikes, good thing I don’t drink
non alcohol beer is the biggest growth sector in the beverage industry.
I know right. I’ll stick to my grape juice
Purple drink
Purple drank.
Mmm... purple
Conservatives never make a move that won't make his donors a lot of money at the 99% expense.
Why is this even necessary? This guys priorities leave something to be desired for
Just like everything else at convenience stores lol...
Booze is already overpriced. Another 50%? Fuck that.
And yet, people still shop at convenience stores because... they're convenient.
What's not been raised yet (at least in this thread) are the risks that these stores are going to sell these items to under-age youth and intoxicated people. I worked at the Beer Store once upon a time and they took carding and watching for drunks very seriously. More than a few horror stories from QC about young folks buying mixed alcoholic drinks at the depanneur and ending up dead or in hospital.
"Some convenience stores may opt not to sell beer and wine at all, others could charge a 20% to 50% premium" Yes. They COULD charge 20 to 50% They could also charge 7000%. They COULD charge any goddamn thing they want. They most likely won't because they won't be competitive. But, yes, they CAN charge what they want. This is how capitalism works How is this even a story.
I mean, if they're going to do the thing where they lock them up at 11, same time as grocery stores and the wine rack are still open, what's the point of this exactly? People too drunk to drive?
Like crime and lcbo thefts and auto thefts aren’t already an issue. Let’s give the quickie Marts another theivable item! Armed robbery at 11.
And we're playing hundreds of millions for the privilege!
This sounds on brand for Conservatives. Conservatives are fiscally irresponsible.
It was never about making it cheaper - it was about expanding access to the public (because you know - people have been clamouring for this for years... everyone is demanding it!)
I think maybe he's trying to get everyone drunk, so they'll forget how shitty our healthcare system is right now.
Why tho? If beer is 50% more, then I'll just stick to the Beer Store. Why would anyone pay that much more just for the minor convenience it provides?
People wanted the convenience but failed to realize that the cost for the beer store to deliver beer to the beer store is 0. Now factor in delivery and fuel fees, on top of the convenience stores trying to make their profits on top of a product that is already taxed to death….theres the answer.
These Ford folk have a fixation with intoxicating the voter base.
One consequence of this I think is it's going to push some soft drinks/energy drinks/waters out of the market. These convenience stores only have so much shelf/cooler space and I'm guessing the markup on a ~$5 can of beer is going to be a lot more than a ~$2 can of whatever.
So… continue driving to Québec and buying beer at Costco? Understood!
Could, but likely, won't. Supply vs demand. You'll have more stores offering alcohol compared to LCBO and they all want to stay competitive to sell more volume of alcohol.
Good. Let it sit there. The newer generations aren't drinking anyway. I don't know what this government's obsession is with alcohol, sports betting and lottery. We just want homes and healthcare ffs.
Time to go back to brewing I guess. In college my roommate and I each did batch a week and helped each other bottle, we had a great work flow. It was about 3 cases each every couple weeks once we had staggered batches. At one point I had all the space under my double bed completelly full of cases of homebrew. This time I'd skip the bottling and invest in keg system and fridge. My brother and his GF have been brewing more wine again, cheap and delicious.
yup, my buddy does this in his garage and spends like 10-20 bucks to make a 50L keg of anything from Lager, IPA, Cider, Wine, Ale's etc... He's getting better, some batches better than others. But he's got 3 or 4 going at a time then puts the finished beer in a keg fridge and he basically never runs out of it anymore.
Kind of like everything else at a convenience store?
And by 2026, all the country Retail Partner places that sell beer and wine will be able to jack their prices as much as they want, too. Isn't that a huge step forward for freedom?
Hahahahahahaha
Wait, so we're paying a quarter of a billion dollars so that prices can go UP?
Like everything else in a convenience store?
Oh look, another of Doug's griftacular plans make me want to leave Ontario...
Time to give up the alcoholism people wake up
Is Ford just trying to get us all drunk so we just get shit faced & forget about how things are, uh, not so good? Cause that what it feels like.. when things go to shit Fords like ‘here guys - a buck a beer! Alcohol in convenience stores! Just drink & forget all your problems!’ I don’t need alcohol at the convenience store, I need my doctor to be more available for appointments not spread out through different offices in different towns and the hospital, making it so I can only make appointments 3 weeks out or go to the ER because some walk ins require you to be on their roster or it’s a telehealth video call with a doctor from Toronto or an NP and an admonishment from the clinic you’re with about doing that.
Im convinced Ford is an alcoholic
I'm surprised that people aren't bringing it up, but the corner stores aren't going to have anywhere near as big a selection as TBS. You're going to be more or less restricted to Labatts, Bud, or Coors products. Yay! /S
Yup
Sounds like a Ruski strategy, get everyone wasted so they don't pay attention to politics. Thanks Dougie!
Good thing I don’t drink alcohol that much. It’s bad for you anyways if people stop relying on it so much prices would go down.
Doug doing what he always does. Make the wrong decision. See the consequences of that wrong decision. See the poll numbers drop. Apologize and backtrack. Every. Freaking. Time. 🤦♂️
Kiss selection goodbye too.
I keep saying this and people act like corner stores will be some bastion of selection, like no it will be the big brands
Alberta went the booze store route and it sucks. Hope everyone likes derivatives of Molson Canadian. ... Might kiss a lot of craft beer breweries goodbye too.
That makes them inconvenience stores to me! (shakes tremored fist)
The convenience comes from being able to purchase it when LCBO and Beer Store are closed.
Written by the beer store.
Exactly. No one is going to pay 50% more for a beer. It'll end up being priced very similar to the lcbo and the convenience store owners will be happy to have another product to sell.
Folks! The peeeoplle of Onttaaaario will not tolerate this! If these convenience store owners jack up these prices, I'll be on them like an 800lb gorilla. We're watching folks!
Because allowing competition will increase prices somehow. The only problem is that it's going to be cheaper to drink beer than everything else. Labatts has been cheaper on the US side for decades... even after shipping it there...
Most things are cheaper in the US because higher population and population density. It's easier to lower prices and make up for it with higher quantity. Also helps they have lower or no taxes on most things depending on state.
Breaking News! Convenience stores charge more! More at 11!
Hopefully they make it illegal to dry and drive.
Whaaaattt !!??? NNnnnooooo
Classic.
It’s already ridiculously overpriced as it is.
Switch to weed
I hope that it does, so as not to threaten the unionized LCBO jobs.
Now that’s freedom! That’s choice! Glad I quit! 😆😆😆😆
Ford needs to go!
Doug Ford doesn’t care he knows he has your vote anyway
I will no longer support booze in ontario or establishments that serve it. Government and police trying to destroy people lives
🤣 OMG They ruined the province for more expensive beer.