Beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails are coming to Ontario corner stores this fall, sources say, with The Beer Store being paid public funds.
Premier Doug Ford is set to announce that he’s dramatically speeding up his push to liberalize alcohol sales in Ontario.
Multiple sources tell 680 NewsRadio that convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations that are fully licensed to do so will be able to sell beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails starting this fall, well ahead of the previously slated date of early 2026.
Sources also say that The Beer Store will be paid an unspecified amount of taxpayer dollars in order to keep locations open to facilitate recycling and bottle return, and to further support the private brewer owned entity, as Ontario shifts to the new model of selling alcohol.
Premier Ford is expected to make the official announcement Friday morning alongside the finance minister at a news conference in Etobicoke. Sources indicate he will announce that interested retailers will be able to apply for licenses starting in the coming weeks. Those that are granted licenses will be able to start selling the alcohol at some point this fall.
In a previous announcement on Dec. 13, 2023, Ford said that up to 8,500 new stores will be allowed to sell alcohol, but will have adhere to rules laid out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which says that retailers can sell only sell alcohol between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Spirits will still be exclusively sold at the LCBO.