You won't have to cruise far for booze starting Thursday, Innisfil.
As of tomorrow, licensed convenience stores across Ontario are permitted to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink beverages. That’ll include several Innisfil shops.
Here’s a list of convenience stores within town authorized to sell booze as of Sept. 5, according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO):
- Canco 727/One Stop (7364 Yonge St.)
- Circle K (808 Innisfil Beach Rd.)
- Cookstown Mart (18 Queen St.)
- County Line Store (1445 Innisfil Beach Rd.)
- Hi Mart (3280 25th Sideroad)
- Lefroy Neighbours Express (1341 Killarney Beach Rd.)
- Market (6400 Highway 400 South)
- Petro-Canada (3535 Hwy. 89)
- Roadhouse Market (1382 Killarney Beach Rd., Unit 2)
- Sandycove Variety (902 Lockhart Rd., Unit 1)
- Shell (1 King St. N.)
- Shell #C22425 (2098 Commerce Park Dr.)
- Simcoe Variety (7905 Yonge St., units 1 and 2)
- Town Centre Variety (945 Innisfil Beach Rd., Unit 4)
- Ultramar Gas Bar (5460 Yonge St.)
- Ultramar Gas Station (5949 Hwy. 89)
- Waypoint Innisfil (1496 Innisfil Beach Rd.)
- 2578918 Ontario Inc. (2371 25th Sideroad)
As announced in May, the Ontario government is expanding the province’s alcohol beverage marketplace in phases to allow convenience, grocery and big-box grocery stores to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages, such as coolers, hard seltzers or other premixed cocktails.
“We are delivering on our commitment to give consumers in Ontario the choice and convenience every other Canadian enjoys and we’re doing so even sooner than we had originally promised,” said Premier Doug Ford at the time.
So far, the AGCO has approved licences for more than 4,000 convenience stores across the province.
This week's move will be followed on Oct. 31 by licensed grocery and big-box stores being allowed to sell beer, cider, wine, ready-to-drink beverages and large-pack sizes.
Over time, the government says, alcohol sales will be allowed in up to 8,500 new stores. This represents the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition almost a century ago.
In preparation, the AGCO has launched a new website to provide licensees with compliance information and resources, noting it is "committed to supporting licensees meet their regulatory obligations for the safe and responsible sale of alcohol in Ontario."
"Compliance is a legal obligation," the AGCO said in a media release. "Adhering to these regulations is essential for upholding business integrity and ensuring public safety."
The Convenience Industry Council of Canada has called this week's broadening of sales an "important step toward modernizing Ontario's alcohol regime."
"We are fully committed to continuing our work with the government to ensure we can keep prices competitive for both our businesses and customers," president and chief executive officer Anne Kothawala said recently.
However, the union representing LCBO workers has countered the LCBO should instead be grown to meet demand, through new stores, added hours of operation and increased warehousing, logistics and e-commerce capacity.
