The expansion of beer and wine sales in Ontario was a campaign promise that Doug Ford made during the last election — adding that the province is the only jurisdiction in the world where beer or wine is not available in a grocery store or a convenience store.
"We’re going to make sure it’s convenient for people and be treated like everyone else in the country," said Ford. "Down in the U.S. everywhere, you can walk into a store and pick up a can of beer, a case of beer, a bottle of wine, ready to drink. And that’s why we’re doing it. We’re keeping our promise and we’re going to move forward on this. And it’s overwhelmingly popular."
Recently, Ford announced the closure of ten supervised drug consumption sites in Ontario because of their proximity to schools. Cannabis shops also can not set up within 650 feet of a school. Ford was asked why beer and wine sellers won’t face similar limitations.
"Last time I checked, the convenience stores don’t have needles lying around in front of their stores," said Ford. "And they’re well equipped, they’ve dealt with everything from tobacco to lottery tickets, now beer and wine and they’re going to be very responsible."
But the move isn’t sitting well with the province’s secondary school teachers’ union, fearing students will have too much access to booze. And the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, or CAM-H has also weighed in.
“I really feel like this is a choice of conveniences over Ontarian's health and well-being," said Dr. Leslie Buckley the Chief of CAM-H. "We’re really worried about violence and domestic violence, which is already seeing an increase and we know how linked that is to alcohol. We’re worried about DUI."
Doug Ford says there may be a few bumps along the way, but he’s not changing the plan.
There is talk that some convenience stores like the 7-Eleven chain will allow consumption on their premises. Vice President and General Manager of 7-Eleven Marc Goodman says some locations will include a dining area.
"Our first two stores were Niagara Falls and Leamington, Ontario," said Goodman. "And it's been very well received by local customers and those two cities in particular. And we’ve also done this in Alberta, where we have 20 licensed restaurants. And that is something that we are going to continue to grow and expand."
On Thursday, Ontario marks the largest expansion of alcohol sales since the end of prohibition nearly 100 years ago. It also comes during the same week that hundreds of thousands of students across Ontario, return to their schools after summer break.