More than half of all Ontario convenience stores have licences to sell alcohol

Over half of Ontario convenience stores have received the necessary licence to sell alcohol ahead of the Sept. 5 deadline for retailers being allowed to sell beer, wine and ready-to-drink beverages.

With just over three weeks to go, 3,866 convenience stores out of the province’s total of around 6,700 have received a licence.

The Alcohol Gaming and Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which grants the licences, tells 680 NewsRadio that most of those issued to date have been to businesses that already held a lottery retailer licence from the AGCO. “As such, they had already been vetted for eligibility and compliance,” said the AGCO.

The AGCO opened its application process for new and existing convenience and grocery stores in Ontario to apply for alcohol retail licences on June 17.

Convenience stores are in the process of preparing space for the alcoholic beverages, and some are turning to their customers for help in what to stock.

“Beer/wine suggestions needed for beer and wine sales in this store,” read a sign spotted by 680 NewsRadio posted inside a downtown convenience store.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy has weighed in for the first time Tuesday on the story first broken by 680 NewsRadio last week regarding how almost all 7-Eleven stores in Ontario are planning to not only sell alcohol for takeout beginning Sept 5, but are also planning to allow of age customers to consume the alcohol in the stores.

“They’re doing it responsibly,” said Bethlenfalvy, who did not express any concern in the plan, noting that 7-Eleven has received the necessary liquor licenses from the AGCO.

“I’m going to support Ontarians and treat them like adults” he said