WINNIPEG –
The Manitoba government hints that it can allow more alcohol sales through private channels to increase customer convenience.
Scott Fielding, the minister responsible for the provincial liquor and lottery corporation, said he plans to introduce a bill Thursday that aligns Manitoba with other provinces.
“We clearly know that Manitobans want a more modernized system. Anyone in Manitoba who travels outside the province sees that system in other provinces,” Fielding said Wednesday.
He declined to disclose details before presenting the bill to the legislature.
“Our goal … is to really make life more convenient for people. It’s important to provide more options and availability for Manitobans.”
Manitoba has complex ways to sell alcohol. Government shops sell all kinds of alcohol, while a large number of private vendors in hotels sell beer.
There are a limited number of private wine shops, with a limit of eight according to provincial law. Hard liquor is only sold in government stores in urban areas and in private outlets in some rural areas.
New opposition Democrats said they were concerned that the province would allow beer or other alcohol to be sold in corner or grocery stores.
“Do families, communities, want their kids to go to a 7-Eleven, where there are royal (beer) cans in the fridge?” asked Adrien Sala, a liquor and lottery critic.
This expansion could put private store workers at greater risk of theft and assault, Sala added.
Fielding said the Progressive Conservative government has no plans to eliminate government stores.
He also said the bill will include a more gradual approach than the Conservatives introduced in 2020 and withdrew last year. This proposal would have completely opened the sales of alcoholic beverages in urban areas to private sellers.
On Tuesday, the government introduced a supplementary bill that dealt with the licensing part of the industry. It proposes to simplify obtaining the license and give rise to more seasonal courtyards and independent drinking rooms.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 25, 2022.