Ontario’s convenience stores are taking another shot at getting permission to sell beer and wine.
Former Liberal premier David Peterson promised to allow corner stores to sell beer and wine in the 1980s, but it never happened and the current Liberal government has no plans to change the rules.
The Ontario Convenience Stores Association has presented a petition with 112,500 signatures from across the province supporting the idea of broader retail availability of beer and wine.
Association CEO Dave Bryans said convenience stores are already selling alcohol in more than 200 Ontario communities that don’t have stand-alone LCBO outlets.
Bryans said it’s time to give consumers more options and allow corner stores to sell beer and wine.
The petition was started in the hamlet of Vanessa, southwest of Brantford, where the 80 local residents complain they have to drive 20 minutes to buy a bottle of wine.
The association represents about 7,500 of the 11,000 convenience stores in Ontario.
