At least a dozen convenience stores have been given the green light to sell alcohol later this year.
As of July 16, 12 Timmins locations have been approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for the new convenience store licenses for alcohol sales. Convenience stores with a licence can start selling alcohol on Sept. 5, 2024.
The businesses that have applied for the new license are:
- Mom’s Fries and Variety on Pine Street South
- Esso on the Run on River Park Road
- Circle K on Victoria Avenue
- Hilltop Confectionery at the corner of Spruce Street North and Sixth Avenue
- Laundry Macks on Mountjoy Avenue South
- Mountjoy Variety on Mountjoy Avenue South
- Circle K on Algonquin Boulevard East
- Circle K on Algonquin Boulevard West
- Tiffany’s Take Out and Delivery on Wende Avenue
- McDonald’s Pharmacy on Bruce Avenue in South Porcupine
- Circle K on Harold Avenue in South Porcupine
Permitted products under the Ontario government's expansion of the alcoholic beverage marketplace include beer, cider, wine, and ready-to-drink beverages.
Starting on Thursday, July 18, grocery stores that already hold a license to sell alcohol can order ready-made drinks and large packs of beer, including 12-packs, 24-packs, or 30-packs, according to a provincial government announcement on July 15.
In Timmins, Food Basics on Burnette Road, Johnson’s Independent Grocers, Walmart, and Metro hold licenses for alcohol sales in grocery stores.
There is also some temporary flexibility in displaying alcoholic beverages within grocery stores, and licensees have been given leave to transfer alcohol between locations with the same owners.
These announcements come amid the OPSEU strike, which closed LCBO locations across the province.
George Soleas, LCBO president and CEO released a statement on July 16 thanking customers for their patience during the strike and calling on the union to come back to the table and consider the current LCBO offer.
In the statement, Soleas says that the sale of ready-to-drink beverages is the sticking point for OSPEU,
The union has raised concerns about a drop in LCBO revenue and the effects that may have on public services that are funded in part by that revenue.
