Ontario could see of a windfall of more than $1 billion if it adopted British Columbia’s mix of private and publicly operated liquor and specialty stores, a spokesperson for B.C.’s private operators says.

In a speech to be delivered Thursday to the Economic Club of Canada, Ian Baillie, executive director, Alliance of Beverage Licensees B.C., also encourages Ontario to stay away from putting beers in corner stores, warning that problems outweigh the benefits of convenience.

“If the Ontario liquor industry mirrored ours in B.C., instead of $1.6 billion going to government, that number could be around $2.7 billion,” he states in his 15-page speech, which highlights the pluses for locally produced wines, beers and spirits.

With 635 stores and 219 convenience store locations in rural and northern Ontario, the LCBO last year reported net sales of $4.71 billion — up $218 million — and handed over to the Ontario treasury an all-time high of $1.63 billion, not including taxes.

“If Ontario allowed private liquor stores, consumers would have access to hundreds of new VQA wines, craft beers and spirits.”

His comments come at a time when the LCBO plans to spend $100 million on expansion, including express outlets in 10 large grocery stores and expanded VQA sales, and while Tory Leader Tim Hudak calls for the booze monopoly to be privatized and for beer and wine to be sold in corner stores.

“A bit of competition makes the world go round . . . I think now that we are (in) 2013 it’s time for some change,” Hudak told reporters at Queen’s Park.

B.C. has had a mix of private and public liquor stores “to create better choices for producers to sell and for consumers to buy,” Baillie said.

ABLE BC advocates for British Columbia’s 672 private liquor stores, as well as bars and pubs.

Baillie said one argument for private liquor stores is that they offer consumers what they want as opposed to the government-run stores that operate on volume sales.

He also notes the privately owned Beer Store in Ontario does little or nothing to promote beers by forcing carriage fees on them that they simply can’t afford, while specialty stores in B.C. promote locally brewed beers.

“I believe one solution for Ontario is to allow private liquor stores to fill the gap in your market.”

Baillee noted that of the $911 million the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch transferred to the government in 2012, 56 per cent came from the private sector.

He said if that rule of thumb was applied to Ontario, the provincial coffers would swell by $1 billion more than it gets now from the LCBO.

But Finance Minister Charles Sousa say forget it.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“We are talking about a monopoly that has tremendous value to the province of Ontario . . . the LCBO is not up for consideration,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.

Meanwhile, LCBO workers have set a strike date of May 17 to back wage demands, among other things.

Read more about: