When it comes to wrecking public health care and undermining public education, Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP) is prepared to act boldly in pursuit of its ideological goals.
But what about when it comes to something really important, like retail liquor sales?
Fuhgeddaboudit!
Yesterday, the UCP published a news release stating: “After a comprehensive review, the MLA Advisory Committee tasked with evaluating Alberta’s liquor retail model has recommended to the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction that the province should not move forward with allowing liquor sales in grocery and convenience stores.” (Emphasis added.)
The trio of canned quotes in the new release are rich in irony.
“The idea of expanding liquor sales to grocery and convenience stores has been mused about for years,” said Premier Danielle Smith, or at least the PR hack or hackette assigned the task of making up a quote that sounds as if she might have said it but contradicts the ideology she supposedly lives to advance.
“I’m grateful for the significant work done by MLAs to look into the feasibility and wisdom of such an expansion and the recommendations they’ve put forward,” she continued. “I am pleased to accept those recommendations and ensure Alberta continues to uphold our current model, which is one of the most open in Canada.”
The recommendation that matters, as noted, is to do nothing to let grocery stores or corner stores sell beer and wine, as in some other provinces.
In other words, idea of expanding liquor sales can be mused about for a few years more as far as Alberta’s premier is concerned.
“Alberta’s private liquor model is a jewel in the crown and allows small businesses to thrive while providing a wide variety of products and services,” said “Red Tape Reduction” Minister Dale Nally in his quote. “I accept the MLA committee’s recommendation to keep a level playing field and ensure the continued success of these businesses.”
Observation: He had no choice. If he’d dared to do anything else, a committee of rural MLAs would have torn him apart piece by piece over the donation revenue they would have lost from their ridings’ grubby, dingy, and poorly stocked liquor stores, which in many communities are the only places to buy hooch. Some jewel! Some crown!
The best quote, though, it is said here, was assigned to Scott Sinclair, the United Conservative Party MLA for Lesser Slave Lake and a member of the committee. “Expanding liquor sales to grocery and convenience stores may seem convenient for consumers, but it would have a detrimental effect on the retail liquor store industry.” Translation: &@%# consumers!
Now, to be clear, dear readers. I am not an advocate of making it too easy to buy booze. But the fact is, the system we’ve had in Alberta since the Ralph Klein Government privatized retail liquor sales in 1993 makes abuse easy and does little keep alcohol out of the hands of under-age drinkers or people who have already imbibed too much.
One thing that can be said in favour of the present system is that store hours are better. Another is that it does employ more people – although in marginal, often precarious jobs.
But yesterday’s announcement does raise an important question: If the market’s always so great, what’s wrong with the market?
In many places, it would be safer and more pleasant to be able to buy a six pack of brewskies at the grocery store, so why not let consumers do so?
Yesterday’s news release wraps up with some excuse making. Yes, as it says, selling booze in clean and pleasant locations would probably “significantly harm Alberta’s existing private liquor retail model.”
And, yes, “allowing sales of this nature would likely lead to widespread closures of independent liquor stores (and) job losses” – although most of those jobs would be quickly replaced elsewhere.
But if the rumours of 1993 had anything to them, not a few of the owners of those stores paid the Conservatives of the day up front for the privilege of getting a license, and UCP MLAs would be sure to be reminded of that.
The release also claims change would result in “a decrease in product variety and customer service.” This is harder to believe. The vast majority of the province’s approximately 1,600 liquor stores have pedestrian selection and lousy customer service.
In most parts of Alberta, a liquor store with a good wine selection is almost as hard to find as an Emergency Room that’s open at night.
Specialty shops with good service and selection would survive.
As for the claim the current system offers competitive pricing, this is only true in a sense. Remember, liquor store “privatization” in 1993 affected only the retail side of the business. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission continues to this day to set the wholesale prices all retailers must pay.
And, as the commission’s website explains, “AGLC adds a markup to the liquor it sells to liquor licensees. AGLC collects the markup on behalf of the Government of Alberta. The markup goes to the General Revenue Fund….”
Yesterday’s news release did not make it clear if the few locations belonging to a chain of convenience stores that had a couple of tables and served hot dogs and chicken wings would continue to be able to sell and serve booze – an innovation announced by Nally with great fanfare in 2023, supposedly as a way to cut red tape.
In February that year, the minister and a pal identified only as Larry showed up in an Edmonton 7-Eleven quaffing daytime cans of Crispy Tall Bois Pilsner (you can’t make this stuff up) and bragging about how selling liquor in corner stores would stimulate economic growth, diversification and job creation.
If you doubt me, the video they made of the occasion can still be found on social media – for the moment, anyway.
In it, Nally boasted, “in Alberta, our attitude about government tape is simple. When we see it, we cut it!”
Except when we don’t.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
