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1. Prohibition-era liquor policies continue in Ontario and B.C.

   Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen If Canadians ever needed proof that narrow politicking interferes with sensible consumer choice, they need look no further than the byzantine “reforms” on the sale of beer, wine and spirits proposed by Ontario, and one ...

2. Want smarter government? Focus it

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, Oct 4, 2014 Murray Smith, a former Alberta cabinet minister in the Ralph Klein government, the one that privatized government liquor stores and licence registries in 1993, once told me about a side benefit of such ...

3. Ontario consumers handicapped by beer and wine sale myths

   Appeared in the Waterloo Region Record Much of Canada’s current approach to liquor retailing has its roots in Prohibition-era attitudes towards wine, beer and spirits. But anyone who thinks that era ended should consider the anti-competition rhetoric that ...

4. Ontario's beer cartel paints Alberta liquor privatization as the bogeyman

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald It’s been two decades since the Alberta government exited the business of selling beer, wine and spirits to consumers. The privatization of all government liquor stores (completed in 1994) led to a dramatic expansion in the ...

5. Success of Alberta's liquor store privatization a lesson for other provinces

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province and Calgary Herald Twenty years ago the Alberta government swiftly and boldly threw open Alberta's markets in beer, wine and spirits. The result has been a success story of intense competition, added convenience and ...

6. Given the recent ICBC executive pay revelations, it's time to privatize ICBC

   Appeared in Business in Vancouver The recent revelation from the Finance Ministry’s probe into Crown corporations that found ever-more and ever-higher paid managers at ICBC has enraged British Columbians and especially consumers of auto insurance in this ...

7. Privatizing B.C. government liquor distribution and liquor stores would provide huge benefits to consumers

   Appeared in Business in Vancouver If you’re a fan of lower prices, increased convenience, better product selection and improved customer service, you might want to keep the champagne on ice---at least when it comes to BC’s liquor industry. Despite all the ...

8. Why do most provinces still run Soviet-style liquor stores?

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald and Vancouver Sun Anyone who recently visited Alberta for the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede might have noticed something unusual about the province: not a single government liquor store. Alberta does have a ...