It’s been 84 days of stakeholder meetings, consultations, research and public input, and British Columbians have until midnight tonight to submit their thoughts on the liquor policy reform.
So far, the main suggestion has been to offer beer, wine and spirits in grocery stores, but the MLA overseeing the liquor reform said it’s not as simple as putting booze on the shelves.
“Having the ability to potentially pick up a favourite bottle of wine while buying milk and eggs at the same time in a grocery store, that’s the convenience that British Columbians have said they’d like to have,” John Yap said.
Yap said the province is considering a “store within a store” model wherein government-regulated liquor sellers set up shop inside larger grocery stores. The province is looking at other province’s models, including those in Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
In Manitoba and Nova Scotia, government liquor stores can operate within grocery stores using separate registers and liquor authority employees. In Quebec, all grocery stores can sell domestic and imported beer as well as Quebec-bottled wine.
Wineries in Ontario can sell their wine to liquor stores within grocery stores or freestanding wine retailers.
The closest the province has got to selling booze in grocery stores is through rural agency stores, which operate in grocery stores in communities that don’t have a B.C. Liquor Store or a private liquor store. The province’s 221 rural agency stores can sell beer, wine, cider, coolers and spirits.
Yap said one of the concerns he’s heard is minors could have easier access to liquor if it were available in grocery stores.
Yap said balancing the convenience demands of about 80 per cent of the comments with the health and safety concerns of other stakeholders is one of the reasons the province is looking at a store within a store.
“We received feedback during the consultations that perhaps one way to find the balance is the store with a store approach as has been done in other jurisdictions. That’s something we’re taking a look at to ensure we’re taking a balanced approach,” he said.
Yap said the province is not considering allowing supermarket chains to sell their own generic brands of liquor as its focus is on the possibility of liquor stores within grocery stores.
Yap said other suggestions, including allowing liquor in public spaces such as parks and beaches, is likely a ways off.
Some of the other suggestions Yap said the review received included allowing craft beer and wine at farmers’ markets, a more streamlined licensing process, and allowing parents to bring their children to a legion or pub.
Yap’s final report with recommendations will be submitted to Attorney General and Justice Minister Suzanne Anton on Nov. 25 and will be made public. He said the first opportunity to look at reforms that require legislative changes will be in the spring session of legislature.
Suggestions and input can be submitted to the province’s blog, emailed on that website, or made on Twitter using #bcliquor by midnight tonight.
