Liquor product selection in the province has expanded from 2,200 in 1993 to more than 31,000 today.
liquor stores
The Beer Store owns a monopoly on all 12-pack and 24-pack beer sales in the province.
Alberta’s liquor product selection has grown from 2,200 in 1993 to more than 31,000 today.
Its been two decades since the Alberta government exited the business of selling beer, wine and spirits to consumers.
When Ontario opposition leader Tim Hudak recently released a position paper that mused about reforming how Ontarians buy their beer, wine and spirits, the usual nonsensical non sequiturs were quickly offered up by those opposed to private liquor stores.
Ill get to the myths about private booze shortly. In general though, state-owned enterprises almost invariably mean losses for taxpayers, consumers or both.
A good example of the latter is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) itself, which runs the Ontario government liquor stores.
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 plethora of private stores, unlike say, Ontario, where I once drove around Cambridge for what seemed forever to find any shop, government or private, to buy wine for a dinner with relatives.
If youre lucky, your politicians will one day imitate Alberta. To that end, heres how Albertas private sector model came about.