LIQUOR LAW UPDATE
New act introduced
The Saskatchewan government introduced legislation on Monday that will open the door for more options, competitive pricing and expanded hours in liquor stores.
“That’s what we think these changes will do, all of those things allow for some sort of competitive pricing, open pricing, as well as some better selection and more convenience,” said Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SGLA) Minister Don McMorris.
The Liquor Retail Modernization Act will amend the way permits are handled, creating a single one for all businesses that sell alcohol here.
That will apply to existing stores, rural franchises, private liquor stores and off-sale outlets as well as new operators entering the market.
“It looks at the whole retail permitting system and levels the playing field,” said McMorris.
The government is calling it the most significant change that the province’s liquor retailing system has seen in the past 50 years.
“It puts all retailers into one category,” McMorris said.
Saskatchewan is in the midst of an expansion of private liquor stores. In November, changes were announced to convert 40 government-owned liquor stores to private ones and, at the same time, added 12 new private stores.
The request for proposals for those 52 new stores will be awarded in the coming weeks.
Jeff Stephen, managing partner of the Open Tap Brewing Company, said he was happy with the decision.
“For us in the business, it’s very exciting,” he said.
He said the company was looking forward to being able to compete with SGLA pricing and the potential for new clients.
“We have several different prices. In the past we could only buy the liquor from SLGA, and that didn’t support our own business,” he added.
Carey Scobie, a spokeswoman for Sobey’s Inc., which runs two private liquor retailers in Saskatchewan, said that experience has been positive.
“Through the public consultation process we’ve seen that consumers are also very positive in support of private expansion, so we think that it’s probably a model that makes sense in Saskatchewan,” she said.
… All of those things allow for some sort of competitive pricing, open pricing, as well as some better selection …