It’s not every day a proposal comes along that makes so much sense that the only proper response is simply to say: Do it!

Ontario’s craft brewers have come up with such an idea, and the Wynne government ought to jump on-board without delay.

The proposal is just this: independent breweries should each be allowed to open at least one off-site store. And they should be permitted to sell each other’s products as well as their own.

That’s it. It opens up the enticing possibility of a network of craft beer boutiques, showcasing the products of Ontario’s burgeoning indie beer industry. They would, presumably, be run by people who know beer and are proud of what they make. And they would allow craft brewers to sell directly to their customers.

Only in Ontario — where the Beer Store has enjoyed a near monopoly on beer sales through a sweetheart deal with the government — could such a proposal be considered anything close to radical. As it moves toward reforming beer and wine sales in the province, the Wynne government should make the craft brewers’ proposal, or something very much like it, part of the solution.

To her credit, Premier Kathleen Wynne seems open to the idea. But she doesn’t want to pre-empt the conclusions of a report on selling beer and wine in Ontario being drawn up by a panel headed by Ed Clark, former CEO of the TD Bank.

Nonetheless, the premier is clearly sympathetic to the province’s craft brewers, which are growing fast. “If there was a level playing field for them here at home, they could be doing even better,” she told the Barrie Chamber of Commerce last week.

Still, craft beers claim only 4 per cent of the Ontario beer market — not surprising when the foreign-owned Beer Store sells 80 per cent of the suds in the province and has no incentive to showcase competitors to its three owners (Molson Coors, Labatt and Sleeman’s). The only other places Ontarians can buy craft beer are LCBO stores and on-site shops at the breweries themselves.

The potential upside for the small brewers is huge. In British Columbia, where the laws are much less restrictive, independent brewers doubled their share of the beer market from 9 per cent in 2009 to 19 per cent in 2013. In Seattle, famous for its craft beers, they own 30 per cent of the market.

It all shows that once consumers get a taste of premium quality local brew and it’s readily available, they’ll buy more. That could mean thousands of jobs producing and selling the product.

Wynne is preparing to challenge the Beer Store’s cosy deal and announce big changes in how beer and wine are sold. Making it easier for Ontarians to purchase fine, locally produced beer should be a no-brainer.

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