Nine Bradford convenience stores set to sell alcohol this fall

Bradford is set to offer extra options for those looking to wet their whistles.

As of July 9, nine local convenience stores have already applied and been approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to sell beer, wine and cider as part of the provincial government’s plan to expand alcohol sales beyond the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and The Beer Store.

However, the AGCO notes that those stores, won’t be able to sell alcohol before Sept. 5.

Rajesh Patel, owner of Bradford #1 Smoke & Variety, is hoping to carry beer and wine in his store at 189 Holland St. E. as a way of offering more options for customers.

“They’re allowing us to sell it, so why not?” he said.

Exactly how much of which beers and wines he can sell will depend on criteria from the AGCO, and based on the information he’s received, the store will also be assigned an LCBO sales rep to guide them through the process.

While Patel understands the sale of alcohol comes with additional responsibility and “strict” regulations, he’s confident he’ll be able to handle it, similar to how they abide by regulations for the sale of tobacco products.

In May, the province said that by the end of October, every eligible convenience, grocery and big-box store in Ontario will have the option to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages.

That could be good news for customers of the local Sobeys — offering beer, wine and cider — and Walmart — offering beer and cider.

Several people in town spoke to BradfordToday and while some didn’t yet have an opinion about the issue one way or the other, some had strong viewpoints.

“It’s about time,” Phil Rogers said.

At 70 years old, Rogers said he’s travelled to other countries and seen first-hand how the sale of alcohol in corner stores works well. While he doesn’t want to see the expansion lead to increased prices, Rogers said a slight bump might be worth the convenience.

“Why should you have to go all the way to one store when you could get it right close to where you live?” he said.

With that increased access, Carol Michael worries about increased impacts on those with addiction or mental-health issues.

“I’m not in favour,” she said. “I care because people will get depressed. Teenagers are going to think it’s OK to drink. They already think it’s OK to vape when they’re underage, so when they’re putting it in the corner store, what are they telling them? It’s OK to get depressed and drink and smoke.”

Carolyn Bunn shared those concerns and said she didn’t see any positive impact from the expansion of alcohol sales.

“It’s disgusting. It’s too convenient when people have issues,” she said. “The whole thing is all wrong.”

Others were OK with the idea, if well regulated. Gary Han suggested alcohol sales should follow the same hours as the LCBO to discourage people from becoming drunk or causing disturbances late into the night.

Over time, the province expects their efforts to expand alcohol sales will lead to 8,500 more retailers selling alcohol, which they claim would be “the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition, almost 100 years ago.”

According to an interactive map of alcohol retailers the province released on Monday, the only other options in Bradford are The Beer Store and the LCBO, the latter of which closed just after midnight on July 5 as part of a workers’ strike.

In a release from July 4, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) said negotiations with the employer broke down, partially as a result of the province’s plan to expand alcohol sales to other retailers.

“(Premier) Doug Ford wants to make life better for his wealthy friends. It’s why he’s wasting upwards of a billion dollars of our money to fast-track privatized alcohol sales and hand more of the public revenues generated by the LCBO over to the CEOs and big box grocery and convenience chains like Loblaws and Circle K,” JP Hornick, OPSEU president, said in the release.

The union claims the LCBO generates about $2.5 billion in public revenues in addition to tax income from alcohol sales that can be invested directly into public services.

In order to meet demand and increase convenience without risking a hit to public revenue, the union argues it would be better to open more LCBO stores, increase the hours of operation and also increase warehousing, logistics and e-commerce.

In a press conference Wednesday morning, Ford said the province’s plan is “to give people more choice and convenience when it comes to buying alcohol in Ontario,” but clarified that even with the expansion of some alcohol sales to other retailers, spirits would remain available only at the LCBO, where he expects revenue to continue to grow as it will “continue to play a critical role in the marketplace,” before he asked the union to return to the bargaining table.

“We aren’t that far apart,” Ford said.

The union is also looking for “a better future” for LCBO workers and claims that 70 per cent of workers currently don’t have guaranteed hours, meaning most won’t have access to benefits and don’t have opportunities to move into permanent part-time and full-time positions.