Ontario to Allow Liquor Sales at Grocery, Convenience, Big Box Stores

High-end wine and sparkling wine on display at a liquor store in Vancouver. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward)

Ontario will be allowing alcohol to be sold in convenience, grocery, and big box stores starting in 2026.

Approximately 8,500 retailers will be permitted to sell beer, wine, cider, coolers, seltzer, and other low-alcohol, ready-to-drink beverages, according to a government news release.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) will still sell spirits like gin and whiskey, the release said.

Premier Doug Ford said the decision fulfilled a promise made during the 2018 election, according to The Canadian Press.

“There’s no reason why Ontario consumers shouldn’t enjoy the same convenient shopping experience as Canadians in every other province when buying some wine for their holiday party or a case of beer or seltzers on their way to the cottage,” he said in the news release.

Ford’s government is calling it “the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition almost 100 years ago.”

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The changes mean that Ontario will have the third-highest density of alcohol retail stores in Canada. It’s currently at the bottom of the list.

However, the provincial auditor general noted in the 2023 Value for Money audit that Public Health Ontario was not consulted with regard to the impact increasing access to alcohol would have.

Concerns were also raised by the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) about the negative health implications that could occur with the expansion of alcohol sales.

“Research and real-world evidence show that when alcohol becomes cheaper and more available, consumption increases, and so does alcohol-related harm,” an OPHA press release said.

“Alcohol is the most widely used substance in Ontario, yet most people are not aware of the harm it can cause to their health.”

According to a government guide, three to six “standard drinks” per week come with “moderate risk,” while more than six a week pose “increasingly high risk,” including of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. One or two drinks per week are considered “low risk.”

As part of the transition, the government has informed The Beer Store that the 10-year deal it signed in 2015 will end on December 31, 2025, and will not be renewed.

The Beer Store will still continue to sell alcohol products, the release said.

The province said that it will also “introduce competitive pricing to all private retailers,” but will allow stores to run promotions for products.

Restrictions on sizes and packs will be removed, according to the release.

“Consumers will be able to purchase any pack size, including 12-packs, 24-packs or even 30-packs … at convenience, grocery and big box stores, in addition to the LCBO and The Beer Store.”

As part of the alcohol sales modernization, the government announced it will introduce legislation to eliminate a 6.1 percent basic tax on all on-site retail sales of 100 percent Ontario wines. It’s a decision that the Ontario wine industry supports.

“Every dollar spent on wine grown in Ontario is a dollar going back into the economic growth of Ontario, through agricultural jobs, small business growth and agri-tourism,” Richard Linley, president of the Ontario Craft Wineries, said in the government release.

“The government’s plan will put us back on track for not only sustaining, but growing our agricultural businesses for generations to come.”