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AUDIO: LCBO to Open Kiosks Inside Grocery Stores

Posted By: David Woodard · 12/31/2012 2:38:00 PM

Some Ontario shoppers will get the option of buying liquor and wine inside their local grocery stores starting late next year.

The Liquor Control Board will set up what it calls Express outlets inside 10 grocery stores over the next 18 months.

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan says he expects the pilot project will be well received by consumers and will then be expanded to other areas.

The LCBO will decide which communities and grocery stores will host its new Express outlets over the next year, and will also create new VQA boutiques for Ontario wines inside five of its own stores.

Duncan says setting up LCBO outlets in grocery stores is a better way to improve consumer access than the Progressive Conservatives' call to sell alcohol in corner stores, an idea he calls ``bone-headed.''

The finance minister says having LCBO outlets in grocery stores will help promote Ontario wines and craft beers, which he doubts corner stores would stock if they were allowed to sell alcohol.

<with files from The Canadian Press and James Moore>

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  1. Herry69 posted on 12/31/2012 03:12 PM
    let me guess, toronto, toronto and toronto !
  2. proton posted on 12/31/2012 03:49 PM
    Duncan and his fiberals are "bone-headed" for their claiming a paternalistic attitude towards selling alcohol in corner stores. I grew up in Montreal where beer and eventually wine were available in corner stores. There weren't any more alcohol related incidents as a result nor were 5 year old children standing at street corners drinking, two BS issues that the anti-crusaders claim. In fact private establishments face severe penalties if they're caught. This is their livelihood they'd be risking, something LCBO staff don't have to worry about, including the idiots that allowed a 15-year old boy to buy alcohol. Additionally, any private company buying alcohol would attempt to buy at the best price possible instead of at higher prices than needed because they can't be bothered to negotiate. After all, it's not their money so why bother making an effort.

    Mr. Duncan's comments are disingenuous as he knows nothing OR is deceiving us to maintain the status quo. At least if the fiberals were honest and admitted the real reason, revenue, that would be better than their assuming we're all complete idiots and believe their BS.

    There are a number of provinces and US states that have privatized and it'd be really easy to view those results to see the differences with our 18th century system.
  3. Keith m posted on 12/31/2012 04:38 PM
    They should let it be sold by grocery stores and corner stores. That way they save on having to pay staff and not having to put together these outlet booths.
  4. calvinhc posted on 12/31/2012 05:29 PM
    When are we Ontarians going to demand a REAL accounting of the LCBO instead of buying the tag line that it brings in $1.63 billion dollars to the province (according to recent news stories).

    I would be willing to bet that the province is LOSING money. Here's how:

    Alcohol sold in this province has X dollars in taxes levied on it. If all alcohol sales were privatized and the same amount of product were sold, there would still be X dollars in taxes collected.

    The LCBO makes a mark-up on what is sells, as would private retailers. The money taken in would be X + Y dollars, where Y is that mark-up. Y is the non-tax sale price less what the LCBO pays for it, and again, the same would be true for a private operation.

    The LCBO turns X + Y - Z over to the province, where Z is the cost of their operation. Z is the cost of paying their employees and the cost of operating and maintaining placial stores.

    A private retailer, in order to stay in business, has to make sure that Z is less than Y. The LCBO does not. I would be willing to bet that, at best, the LCBO has Y equal to Z, but more likely Z is greater than Y. That means that instead of handing X dollars in taxes to the province, something that private retailers would have to do, they hand over something less.

    That is money that comes out of our pockets through other taxes.

    So, if a claim is made that the LCBO brings in, say, $1.63 billion, I have to wonder if privatization would have the province receiving something more, even if it is only $100 million.
    1. proton posted on 12/31/2012 06:18 PM
      @calvinhc ABC's of private business, something many politicians couldn't or wouldn't bother to understand. You've explained it so well a twit could understand. How about taking a stab at eHealth and Ornge next, or the liberals who've managed to mismanage this province, and/or toronto city councillors who'd manage to lose money on a lemonade stand even if all the ingredients were free
  5. Phillip posted on 12/31/2012 06:41 PM
    Beer and wine should be sold in corner stores, I also think the people of Ontario have been brainwashed to believe we need the government to control us.
  6. John posted on 01/02/2013 08:50 AM
    What's this? Could there be an election coming?? Are the Liberals already out there buying votes with our own dollars??? Or is this just another lame "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes" Liberal strategy?

    By the way, the email link on the "contact us" page is broken.
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