A toast to enlightened liquor regulations

Letting consumers make own choice an elegant solution, writes Todd MacKay.

The Saskatchewan government has proposed the biggest step forward in liquor regulations since the repeal of Prohibition. It’s a stark shift from a government-knowsbest policy to one that truly trusts Saskatchewanians to make their own choices when they pick up a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer. It’s also an elegant solution that offers a smooth transition and protects government revenues.

To fully appreciate the scope of this change, it’s worth understanding a little bit about the current mess.

Right now, Saskatchewan’s liquor retail system is unfair. There are four types of liquor retailers: 450 off-sales, 190 rural franchises, 75 government liquor stores and four new private liquor stores. There are different and unfair rules for each category.

Off-sales can stay open late and sell cold beer, but they have to pay retail prices for their stock and therefore are forced to charge inflated prices. Rural franchises get better pricing structures, but are often forced to sell warm beer and close early. Even government stores endure restrictions on hours and the types of beer they can put in the fridge. The new private stores have the most freedom in the current system, but they’re only operating in a few neighbourhoods.

Under the government’s new liquor policy proposal all of those unfair rules will be gone.

There will be one type of liquor licence for all liquor retailers, including government stores. There will be one standard wholesale pricing structure so that all retailers are paying the same prices for their stock. And there will be one set of rules that allow all retailers to stay open late and sell cold beer.

The new liquor system will give every off-sale, rural franchise and government store the opportunity to provide the same level of service, selection and prices that Saskatchewanians are finding at the new private stores in Saskatoon and Regina.

Now, there are always naysayers who have no interest in making the playing field level for liquor retailing.

There are those who worry the government won’t make enough money under the proposed system. They can be comforted to know the government has structured its new wholesale mark-up structure to make sure it still gets its share. One of John Gormley’s listeners put it well: “I worry about a lot of things in life: Will the Riders ever win? Will my kids be well-adjusted adults? What if the zombie apocalypse actually happens? But I never ever worry that government will be able raise enough tax on something.”

Then there are those who will resort to dirty tactics to entrench the current unfairness. They lament that private businesses will sell alcohol to kids and only unionized government employees can be trusted. If any of these people have any real evidence of any specific liquor retailer breaking the law they should call the cops and the consequences should come down like a ton of bricks. But, of course, there will be no specific allegations and instead hundreds of ethically unimpeachable local businesspeople will be smeared with the same slanderous brush.

The overwhelming majority of more than 600 local businesses who already sell liquor through rural franchises and off-sales care deeply about their community and do everything possible to keep kids safe. To suggest otherwise is ignorant, bigoted and wrong.

Unlike previous attempts to improve Saskatchewan’s liquor regulations, Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Minister Don McMorris has done more by doing less. The system is spared further complication and distortion with different perks and restrictions imposed on different special interest groups. Instead, the government asked what would be best for consumers and the answer is simple: give Saskatchewanians the freedom to choose the retailer that provides the best combination of service, selection and price.