Protecting Alberta’s private liquor industry

In February 2024 we contacted our member liquor store companies about the Government of Alberta's consideration regarding permitting grocery stores to sell liquor, similar to the US model of open markets and the recent commitment by Ontario to expand opportunities for liquor sales.

We discussed the issue at a Policy Council meeting in March and following the meeting and discussion, we agreed to submit a letter to Minister Nally. We received a response from the Minister in May advising on the establishment of an MLA Advisory Committee to gather information and perspectives. 

We followed up in June and again in August to provide additional insight. We had also reached out to the Ontario Chambers of Commerce to gain additional insight into the regulatory environment pre- and post-regulation. One major difference in Ontario was that before the introduction of grocery store liquor sales in Ontario, Ontario did not have private liquor retailers, so the impacts of the legislation would have been limited to the Beer Store or LCBO. This model was drastically different than the private retail model in Alberta. In June we further emphasized this message and urged the Government to consider the regulatory environment of other provinces in the findings and considerations, as there are substantially different impacts in a private retail market. We followed up again in August to check in on progress. 

We were pleased with the Government of Alberta announcement, confirming yesterday on October 2, that they are not moving forward with the liquor retail model and will uphold the current model in order to protect Alberta’s private liquor industry: View the announcement online.

We’re pleased with the decision and count this as a win for the industry.