Ontario accelerating plan to expand supermarket alcohol sales

The Ontario government says it is accelerating plans to bring ready-to-drink cocktails and larger packs of beer into some supermarkets, as some 9,000 unionized workers with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) remain on strike.

With the province's LCBO retail outlets currently shuttered, the government said Monday that the 450 grocery stores already licensed to sell beer, wine and cider will be able to order canned spirit drinks and 12- and 24-packs of beer beginning Thursday, two weeks ahead of schedule. 

That's earlier than the planned Aug. 1 launch of that step in Premier Doug Ford's alcohol sales expansion. In the original plan, convenience stores would be allowed to sell beer, wine and coolers starting Sept. 5, while newly licensed grocery stores could do so starting Oct. 31.

Stores will now be able to sell them to customers immediately on arrival. 

"Our government is keeping our promise to give people in Ontario choice and convenience while supporting Ontario-made beverage producers across the province, including the Ontario businesses that produce more than 80 per cent of the ready-to-drink beverages sold here in our province," Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said in a news release.

"This is an important milestone for grocery retailers and consumers alike as we continue our work modernizing Ontario's alcohol marketplace."

The announcement comes a day after the LCBO announced it will not be opening some stores three days a week, walking back its initial plan to reopen select locations with limited hours during the strike action. More than 650 stores across the province have been shut down since workers walked off the job on July 5.

Unionized workers with the LCBO, Ontario's main liquor retailer, have said Ford's plans to make pre-mixed cocktails readily available across other stores are at the heart of ongoing negotiations.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents the workers, has said the expansion threatens the LCBO's future as a retailer and could lead to thousands of job losses within a few years.

Ford repeated on Monday that the province has no intention of reconsidering parts of its plan to open the alcohol retail market in the province despite calls from the union.

"That ship has sailed, we're moving forward with it," he said to reporters at an unrelated news conference ahead of the Premiers' meeting in Halifax.

He said the province is waiting for union leaders to return to the table after the LCBO presented them with an offer. 

"We've focused on benefits, wage increases, job security and they just refuse to come [to the table.]"

Ford and his MPPs have attempted to paint the ongoing strike as opportunity for consumers to seek out local, Ontario-made products like craft beer and ciders. Last week, Ford rolled out an interactive online map to help consumers find booze retailers in their area.