Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says his government will not back down on its plan to expand the sale of alcohol into convenience stores, which the union representing workers at the provincially owned Liquor Control Board of Ontario has identified as a key issue in a strike that has shut down the Crown corporation’s retail stores.
Mr. Bethlenfalvy said the plan to expand to convenience stores will benefit small businesses, with about 3,000 convenience stores having a licence to sell alcohol this fall. He added the LCBO as a retail operation is in a “very good position to compete.” The corporation had planned to open five locations for businesses to shop in-store on July 10, but changed course Monday after the union threatened to picket them; instead, the LCBO plans to offer online shopping for smaller wholesale orders.
Ms. MacLeod said the issue isn’t just about LCBO jobs, but: “What kind of Ontario do you want going forward?”