Liquor sales are a possibility in Alberta grocery stores, but expect pushback
Alberta's alcohol industry is pushing back against a provincial government consideration to allow liquor sales in grocery and convenience stores.
Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally said last week a panel of MLAs has been exploring the idea since December.
His office says it has already consulted with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), warehouses, current retailers, grocery and convenience store operators, producers and responsible-use advocates Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
"We heard about some innovative things that Ontario is doing, getting liquor on the grocery shore shelves, and I wouldn't be doing my job as the minister if we didn't take a look at it," Nally said.
That "innovative" move out east will see Ontario's government allow sales of beer, wine, coolers and seltzers at select supermarkets and convenience stores in 2026.
Ontario’s alcohol sales are largely done through government-operated retailers, whereas Alberta's industry has been privatized for decades.
Many in Alberta's alcohol industry say the change could prove disastrous.
"There's no need for another point of sale for liquor," Alberta Liquor Store Association president Ivonne Martinez said.
"I've never received a phone call saying, 'I cannot get liquor in enough places, please open up more points of sale.' It has just never happened."
Martinez tells CTV News a large chunk of Alberta's 1,700 independently-owned stores would be hit hard by the new competition.
"Small businesses already have very little margin to work with, so even a 10 per cent decrease in sales would be devastating," she said. "Nobody is asking for this. So why try to fix a problem that is not broken?"
The owner of Wise Guys Liquor in northeast Calgary agrees.
"I'm in a week-by-week situation," Sean Semark said. "I buy what we need and make sure we turn a profit every week. That's my business model, compared to the big guys, who have almost unlimited purchasing power."
Nally made a point of emphasizing that no final decisions have been made.
In fact, the minister said he's still waiting on the panel's report before commenting again.
He says that could come in "weeks or months."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
NEW Kim Kardashian brand kids' sleepwear and more: Here are some recalls to watch out for
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Maple Leafs down Bruins 2-1 to force Game 7
William Nylander scored twice and Joseph Woll made 22 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Thursday to force Game 7 in their first-round series.
Is your password 123456? Here's why you should make it stronger
With the sheer number of passwords needed today, it may come as no surprise that over 60 per cent of Canadians feel overwhelmed, and over a third reportedly forget their passwords monthly.
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari are officially divorced and single.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Jurors in Trump hush money trial hear recording of pivotal call on plan to buy affair story
Jurors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump heard a recording Thursday of him discussing with his then-lawyer and personal fixer a plan to purchase the silence of a Playboy model who has said she had an affair with the former president.
OPP's mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops 'not acceptable': CCLA
A spike in impaired driving-related collisions has caused Ontario’s provincial police to begin enforcing mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) at all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area -- a move one civil rights group says is ‘not acceptable.’
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.