By Wendy Lamond
A significant change took place Sept. 5 as convenience stores in Ontario were allowed to start selling alcohol.
This will affect more than 4,000 stores across Ontario. To sell alcohol, owners and all staff involved in the sale must be at least 18 years old and complete an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario approved training program. To be eligible for a licence, the stores must be fully enclosed and have less than 4,000 square feet of floor space, at least half of which is used for food products. Store owners have the choice to decide whether coolers for storage areas will be locked.
In St. Marys, there are three businesses that are now licenced to sell beer, cider, ready-to-drink beverages and wine.
Circle K started selling on Sept. 5 and, according to owner Aesha Batel, alcohol sales have been good.
“It has been very busy and going well. We are waiting on our next shipment to come in as the shelves are looking empty already,” Batel said.
Meadowridge Variety is hoping to be ready to sell by the end of this week or next. Owner Miriam Ryu shared they are working on getting everything ready to go. They are finishing a renovation for some added storage space. The other location that is now licenced is the Esso on Queen Street East. Like Meadowridge Variety, they are also working on getting their space ready for selling the beverages and expect to have drinks stocked and ready to sell in a few weeks.
With benefits being comparable pricing and the potential for more walk-in traffic, the businesses are looking forward to the change, though adding alcohol is a new dynamic for staff.
By the end of October 2024, as part of the government's plan to expand alcohol sales, every eligible convenience, grocery and big-box grocery store in Ontario will be able to sell beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages if they choose to do so. Both Foodland and Tremblett’s Independent Grocer in St. Marys will be taking part with some of Foodland’s employees already being trained, however no date is set for either location to begin selling alcoholic beverages at this point.
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