Ontario convenience stores can sell alcohol this week. Where to buy it
The march to change alcohol sales in Ontario began during Ford’s initial election campaign in 2018, as he pledged to change a setup with mostly limited alcohol purchases in Ontario to LCBO and Beer Stores as well as a few dozen grocery stores.
Kkritika Suri
Starting Thursday, Ontarians will have thousands of new options for purchasing alcoholic beverages as Premier Doug Ford continues to expand alcohol sales across the province.
Ford's push to change how alcohol is sold in Ontario began during his first election campaign in 2018 when he promised to expand alcohol sales beyond the LCBO, Beer Stores, and a limited number of grocery stores.
The first significant change occurred in July, when grocery stores were permitted to sell ready-to-drink beverages and large beer pack sizes. The next phase involves allowing convenience stores to sell alcohol. In May, the provincial government announced that convenience stores would be able to start selling alcohol in September.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) opened applications for new and existing convenience and grocery stores on June 17. As of August 26, AGCO has issued 4,074 licences to convenience stores and 159 licences to grocery stores, meaning that more than half of Ontario's 6,700 convenience stores are now licensed to sell alcohol.
However, one Toronto convenience store had its licence suspended after allegedly selling alcohol before it was legally permitted to do so.
Most of the stores granted licences were already approved to sell lottery tickets, liquor, or groceries by AGCO.
The province has also introduced a map tool that allows residents to search for licensed stores by location and the type of alcoholic beverages they offer. You can find the map here.
The next phase of Ford's plan will see alcohol sales expanded to big box stores starting in November.
